Not So Alone
by xXCobaltFlameXx
Summary: "I'm not the little girl you want, anyway. I might as well leave." Faye snapped. With the dead roaming the streets, the world isn't built for little girls anymore. No, little girls either grow up or perish. And Faye refused to perish. "Where would you go? You're safe with us." First impressions aside, this might be the group Faye's been searching for. (Eventual Carl/OC)
1. Lost and Found

_"I'm not the little girl you want, anyway. I might as well leave." Faye snapped. With the dead roaming the streets, the world isn't built for little girls anymore. No, little girls either grow up or perish. And Faye refused to perish. "Where would you go? You're safe with us, no matter how dysfunctional this group is." First impressions aside, this might be the group Faye's been searching for._

* * *

"You best shut the hell up!"

"Or what? You gonna come up here and shut my mouth for me? Well, come on and do it then, if you think you're man enough!" Merle cackled as Daryl continued to struggle his way up towards his brother. "Hey! Kick off them damn high heels and climb, son!"

As he laughed, Daryl grunted, wincing over his wound, and grabbed another root. "You know what, if I were you, I'd take a pause for the cause, brother. 'Cause I just don't think you gonna make it to the top. Come on! Come on, little brother."

He laughed before the cocky grin left his face, offering his hand. "Grab your friend Rick's hand."

Daryl's hand hit the ground as he gripped whatever was there to pull himself up. Breathing hard, he shifted his leg up and held a tree trunk for support before he reached the top, landing on his knees. After scrambling to his feet to get another look at the image of his brother, he saw nothing. Swaying slightly on his feet, Daryl shouted. "Yeah, you better run!"

"You're being too loud."

Eyes immediately darting left to the sound of the voice, he almost grabbed his crossbow.

When he finally saw the small figure, Daryl frowned.

"You ain't Sophia."

* * *

It's been five days since the camp was overrun.

Five days since I've seen anyone living. Five days since I've seen anyone _really _living, at least.

Four days since Dad and Andy-

No.

I'm not talking about that. I don't want to talk about that.

Resecuring my backpack on my shoulder, I carried on walking through the forest. I know it isn't safe here, but where _is _safe anymore? All there is now is dead people walking, and the people left alive aren't all that great, either.

Michael - the leader of our old group - was an example of that.

Dad said he was 'off the deep end'. We knew it wouldn't work with him, but we listened anyway. That's why Dad taught me and Andy survival skills, in case something bad happened.

In the end, the bad stuff did happen. It's Michael's fault we were surrounded with the dead people, they'd been attracted by the noise he made. That was when Andy shoved a gun and my backpack in my hand and told me to run.

So I ran.

Why did we listen to the crazy guy, you ask? He was a crazy guy with guns, that's why. That's what gives you power these days, Dad said.

But, that's what brought me here. I've just been walking. I don't really have a plan. Or a map, for that matter, I'm not sure where I am anymore.

The dead people haven't bothered me here, I guess. By myself, I'm quiet. I haven't used the gun since the attack, don't wanna touch it. Right now it's wrapped up in my hoodie. My knife is close though, so I think I'm safe.

Trees are good here. If I have to, I can climb them to hide from something.

Looking around, though, not many of them have low enough branches. Never mind. I'll figure something ou-

"Woah, woah!"

I froze, immediately hiding behind a tree, hand reaching towards my knife. Holding my breath, I waited.

There was a horse neighing. I swear I heard a neigh!

And that was definitely a voice, too.

Have I found people? I grinned for a moment, before realising they might not be so friendly.

After being surrounded by silence for so long, did I imagine that? It was faint, after all. I thought I heard someone shout a few minutes ago too, a name maybe, but it was too far away for me to know if it was real or not.

After standing still for a moment, I moved.

If that was really a person, I'm finding them.

* * *

Walking out from behind her hiding place, Faye carefully tread towards where she thought she heard the horse. She looked around and peered through the trees, but saw no signs of an animal.

Then, as she crept behind a large plant, she noticed the creek and small lake.

Oh, and the man across from her staring at the bush she was in? She saw him too.

Immediately crouching into the undergrowth, Faye looked between the leaves at the person. It was more than likely he couldn't actually see her, her top was green for a reason.

(Alright, so that was a lie. Her top was green because it matched her eyes and was her favourite colour, but Faye had told people it was so she could blend in. To sound cool, she thought.)

Anyway, it was the sound of Faye moving that had alerted him. Edging closer to get a better look, she saw he was injured.

Was that an arrow? Yes, it was, she confirmed as the man turned sideways and waded through the lake, searching for something. There was also a doll tucked into his belt and Faye smiled.

Did he pick that up for another kid? That had to mean there were other children, right?

After a few minutes of fishing around with a stick, she frowned as the man lifted up what Faye originally thought was a gun.

Then, he left the water, and she realised what the weapon was with a grin.

A crossbow.

The first thing that rang through her mind was that crossbows were, to put it simply, bad-ass and she wanted one as well.

The second thought was that he might come over and shoot her with said bad-ass cross bow. Faye was scared for a moment, but dismissed it when he walked the other way.

And the final thing was the strange thought that the man had somehow shot himself with the bad-ass cross bow. This amused the young girl a little, easing her tense position ever-so-slightly.

When she came out of her little weapon-filled day-dream, she saw the man try to climb back up the creek.

No.

This was bad.

She was supposed to go with him! To find people!

Moving to a different cover to get a closer look, she saw he was struggling. Faye reasoned with herself. The man was taking a while, she could get to the top and find him reasonably quickly. However, she was once again drawn out of her thoughts by a crash.

He had fallen again.

Panic immediately set in as Faye realised he was not getting back up. If he was dead, that would mean... Well... He wouldn't truly be dead. And Faye would have to run from the not truly dead person.

If he wasn't dead, that would mean he was injured, and Faye wasn't sure if she could help him. All she had in her pack were three or four paracetamol, which wouldn't help with the arrow wound or whatever happened during his fall.

If she were an adult, they might have left him there, so he wouldn't weigh them down.

But she had missed being with people for two long to not go with him, not to help him.

In the back of her mind, there was doubt that he would even _want _to take her with him. But she ignored that. Faye was too pleased to see someone after all that happened to take that into consideration.

So, not wanting to be alone anymore, Faye crept out of her hiding place and moved towards the unconscious man.

Once she was a few metres away from him, she saw his mouth move. Maybe he wasn't so unconscious, after all.

Frozen, Faye wasn't sure of her next move. As happy as she was to find someone, she knew he _could _be dangerous.

"Shitty day, bro." The man murmured.

Faye's eyes widened. Was he talking to her? The surprise faded after a few moments and she frowned rather childishly. He had called her bro! She was a girl!

The girl was about to talk back to him when he spoke again. "Screw you."

He can't be talking to her! She didn't say anything! Taking another step forward, Faye saw the blood on his head. He must have got hit on when he fell, she thought. Saying nothing, the girl stayed where she was, waiting for him to say anything.

"Girl." He paused. "They lost a little girl."

This stumped her. He wasn't talking to her, but he couldn't be talking _about _her, could he? About her camp being overrun? No. Faye had no idea who he was, and it couldn't have been the other way round.

"Shut up."

Faye frowned. If this guy had lost it, she wanted nothing to do with him. Not after last time. Crazy people are bad. Crazy people are trouble. As he carried on talking to himself, Faye was torn.

It could have just been the fall. Her Dad had said that sometimes, when you hit your head, you can go a little 'funny'.

This man was being _a lot_ 'funny'.

Then again, he could always be this way. Could she risk it? Maybe, she could just wait until he wakes up a little more. Then she could she if he would still talk to himself.

Faye was about to continue thinking over her problem, when she heard a groan. Head whipping round instantly, she saw the walker approaching. Immediately, she pulled out her knife.

Then, Faye realised, she hadn't taken a walker down with a knife. Dad had said how to hold a knife properly, but that was different than actually using it. She had used a gun to get two of them, and almost a third, but that was... different.

She could run. She could just leave the walker with the man. She'd be safe that way.

Unfortunately, Faye disliked that idea greatly. Crazy or not, this man was the first person she had seen in days. She considered him to be extremely important. Leaving him wasn't an option.

Faye scowled. Dad hadn't said anything about this kind of situation.

Her gun was in her backpack, but this walker was getting closer a lot quicker than Faye liked, not enough time to sit down and rummage through her bag. Glancing to the man, he was slightly more alert.

Then, Faye moved. She ran around and past the man, and started to climb up the edge of the creek. She made it about half way before she was able to stop, pull her bag around and unzip it. As her hand reached into the backpack, she looked down to the walker. It was almost at the man's feet.

Both hands were now in her backpack, reaching to the bottom for her hoodie and unwrapping it. There it was. A Glock 19, Faye was pretty sure what Dad had said this was.

As Faye pulled the pistol out, she ran through the steps of preparing the gun, chanting to herself in her head what she had to do with shaking hands. With a click, she swung her hands up, finger on the trigger as she pointed towards the walker. A walker that was starting to look somewhat similar to her.

Blinking, Faye suddenly recognised the face as her brother and froze, eyes now wide. After a second, she remembered previous events and shook her head vigorously. Focusing back on the walker, it's head now looked like a stranger, she didn't know that guy. She could handle that.

Before she could shoot, however, the man kicked it in the head. Releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding, the man held his own against the walker, tumbling on the floor to get on top of it. This gave Faye a moment or two to collect herself.

This wasn't Andy. Or Dad. She had to shoot it.

Unfortunately, although the now awake man was defending himself, this also meant Faye couldn't get a good enough aim. Not wanting to waste a bullet and attract any other dead with the noise, she hoped the man was strong enough.

In the end, she didn't need to worry. Faye stared as the dead stranger's was bashed in three times and the man began to roughly pull out the arrow in his side. She shuffled over to a different branch, clinging to it, as she saw the yet another body walk towards them.

This guy really couldn't catch a break. Faye felt sorry for him.

He was strong though, she had to admit. Loading his cross bow just in the nick of time, the second walker was down.

Seconds later, the man rolled onto his back once more, and passed out.

Faye found herself frowning once more.

It wasn't supposed to go like this.

For a start, she would've liked to have had a conversation with the man, or at least know a name by now. Faye had hoped she would find a group that would welcome her, not a man who had a tendency to talk to himself and pass out.

Either way, she had still found someone.

Time to go check if the dead people were properly dead.

Faye was about to return the gun into her pack, but after staring at the weapon for a few seconds, she decided against it. The situation she had just been in proved she needed quick access to the pistol. Flicking the safety back on, Faye tucked the gun into the back of her jeans.

Then she looked down and realised returning to the bottom of the creek would be a problem. She must have got up there, Faye concluded, from the panic. If she went back down now, it would just be a struggle for bother her and the injured man to get up.

So, she could carry on up the creek and wait for him to wake up. Maybe she wouldn't be able to keep as good of an eye on him, but once he _was _awake, she could help him from the top.

Yes. Faye decided that was best.

The climb to the top of the creek wasn't easy, Faye's arms weren't exactly muscular, but she made it to the top eventually. Out of breath, the girl lay flat on her back for a little while, chest heaving up and down as she wiped the dirt off of her hands and clothes.

As she sat up, she remembered her reasons for climbing. Scrambling to her feet, she looked over the edge of the creek to see the man sat on a fallen tree trunk, eating something. Faye couldn't tell what is was from the distance, but it was good to see the man up.

What he did next, however, confused her greatly. Going round to each walker, the man crouched down and took something away from them. From one of them, he took a boot lace. After a minute of fiddling, he put the shoe lace around his neck. Faye had no idea what he had done, but he was coming her way.

Eyes widening for a moment, Faye slipped behind one of the trees. As she waited for him to start the climb, she shook her head at herself.

What happened to helping him? He wasn't going to help her unless she revealed herself. Still, despite her inner argument, the girl stayed put. Taking a deep breath in and out, Faye was about to step out when she heard the man's voice.

"You never took care a me. Talk a big game but you was never there! Hell, ya ain't here now - some things never change."

Faye held her head in her hands in frustration. Was he really crazy? She didn't want to deal with this. She knew how crazy people got.

However, the childish side of her that desperately wanted to be with people pointed out the man knew whoever he was talking wasn't there - he knew he shouldn't be talking like this - that she really _could_ go with him.

"I know what a saw!"

Faye waited, deciding she would question him when he got to the top.

"You best shut the hell up!"

That was loud, a shout even. If there were any of the dead people nearby, she thought, they had to have heard. When Faye looked around, she saw none in the immediate vicinity, but the worry lingered despite this.

Then, there was a thud as he man slammed a hand down as he reached the top. There was a few more seconds of struggle before he got to his feet and shouted. "Yeah, you better run!"

With a deep breath in and out to calm herself, knowing that if something went wrong she had her knife and gun, Faye stepped out and said the first thing that came into her head.

"You're being too loud."

The man's head whipped round to see her, hand reaching for his cross bow. The two stared at each other for a few moments, him looking up and down her small figure as his hand moved away from the cross bow (Which, although Faye refused to admit, looked scarier up close). He spoke first.

"You ain't Sophia."

* * *

Author's Notes:

Hello!

This is my first Walking Dead fanfiction, so I hope you enjoy. The next chapter will be out very soon.

As I am British, please excuse any mistakes in dialect/accents - let me know if there's anything I should change! :)

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	2. Arrival

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

"You're being too loud."

The man's head whipped round to see her, hand reaching for his cross bow. The two stared at each other for a few moments, him looking up and down her small figure as his hand moved away from the cross bow (Which, although Faye refused to admit, looked scarier up close). He spoke first.

"You ain't Sophia."

* * *

She hadn't expected that. A 'Who are you?' maybe, but not 'You ain't Sophia'. Who was Sophia?

"No," She replied, shaking her head. "Who's that?"

"Girl from camp, went missing. You seen anyone 'round here?"

Faye almost frowned. Wasn't he bothered about who_ she _was? She didn't scowl, however, but shook her head again. "I haven't seen anyone in five days. You're the first."

"You ain't got a group? How'd ya survive?"

"Camp was overrun. Got taught." She said, answering in order. He gave a slight nod. The two look at each other. He had brown hair and blue eyes, opposed to her black and green. The sleeves from his shirt were ripped away, and Faye guessed the fabric was helping to cover his wound. Around his neck were ears hanging from a shoe lace and the cross bow was-

He was wearing ears on a shoe lace!

Curiosity and confusion made her question him, but was unsure how to phrase it. "Erm, why are you, like, you know, wearing ears?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, as if it was a stupid question. "Trophy. Why, it bother you?"

"It..." Faye gave an embarrassed look, believing his expression. "It isn't something I've seen before."

He shrugged. "Looks like you're comin' back to farm, then?"

"Farm?"

"The group's there. Had a horse, but it left the country."

She did hear a horse after all! She didn't reply, congratulating herself, and he pressed her for an answer as he turned away. "Ya comin'or not?"

"Oh!" She blinked at him as she began to walk with him. "Okay."

That had gone smoothly, surprisingly so. In fact, she had originally planned to question him more before walking off with the stranger, and expected a lot more questions from his side too.

Then again, she was only a child. He must have thought she wasn't a danger, she supposed. Unsure whether to take that as an insult or not, Faye went along with it.

She started on her questions and realised she hadn't asked one of the more important ones. "What's your name?"

"Daryl." He said.

"Daryl?"

"Dixon."

"Okay. I'm Faye Robbins!" She said, and waited for a reply. When she got none, she continued. "How far away is the farm?"

"Far."

"Who's in your group?"

He gave her a glance. "You want the full list?"

"I'd like to know how much it was worth to ignore the stranger danger rule." Faye expected a chuckle, but he simply answered the question.

"Rick, Shane, Carol, Andrea, Lori, Glenn, T-Dog, Dale, Carl and _Sophia_." He said the final name with a nod. "We're gonna find her."

That was quite a few people. She nodded a his answer. "Is that Sophia's doll?" She pointed to it.

"Yeah."

The question was nagging on her mind, so Faye blurted it out. "Who were you talking to?"

Daryl didn't reply, but his walking pace increased ever so slightly. She asked again. "You said bro. Was it your brother?"

As a response, he gave her a glare. She got the message and didn't push any further. After that, they walked in silence as Faye imagined what the members of Daryl's group would be like - which helped push the memories of that walker's face to the back of her mind.

Around half an hour later, Faye looked over to see Daryl looking at her back. He finally spoke up. "I got a question."

"What is it?" She replied quickly, not wanting to annoy the man.

"Where'd you get that gun?"

The question startled Faye. She immediately thought of her brother, Dad, the camp and the dead peo-

She shook her head vigorously as an attempt to get rid of the memories, something that was slowly turning into a habit. She gave a glance to Daryl, who was still waiting for her answer. Trying to act casual, she brushed her fringe back behind her ear and put her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "My brother gave it to me."

"Not much of a gift."

She snapped her head towards him and gave him the same glare he gave her. "It wasn't supposed to be a gift!" The words came out harsher than Faye had expected. "He gave it to me so I could get away from the dead people that got in the camp!"

"Alright, alright."

Faye focused on her feet after that. At least, until Daryl asked another question.

"Your brother, he make it?"

Her eye's stayed on the ground. "He didn't. Neither did my Dad." She said, quietly.

"Your mom?"

"Never knew her. Died when I was born."

Daryl obviously didn't know what to say. "I, err, sorry to hear it."

Faye shrugged. "Not your fault."

"I was just gonna say, 'cause Rick'll take your gun away."

The girl gave him 'the look' they had unknowingly developed and he continued. "Owner of the farm don't like 'em. Rick don't wanna upset him - plus he's got his own kid, Carl, who isn't allowed one. Hide it in ya bag before we get to the farm."

Looking at Daryl, Faye decided it had been a good idea to go with him, even if the happiness of finding someone had worn off quickly and Daryl wasn't completely 'right in the head' at the moment. Thanking him for the gun warning, she focused back on walking.

It was then Faye realised that she had trusted Daryl with a little of her story, albeit not much of a secret. She took another breath before speaking again, deciding she might as well finish.

"I went back a few days later," Faye looked over to see if the man was listening. He was. "I hadn't been followed, but I waited a bit so all the dead people could go away."

Daryl waited for her to go on.

"I shot them. I saw them in the middle of the road not too far from where our camp had been. All- all- all chewed up and horrible." Faye was almost in tears, voice trembling, but didn't want to cry in front of Daryl - whether she was a little girl or not. "Couldn't leave them like that. They- they would've hurt someone!" She looked up to see Daryl staring at her. "Right? They even t-tried to get me too!"

She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. Faye had done her crying already and didn't want to waste any energy bawling.

"You did the right thing. Walkers ain't people no more. They're, err, in a better place."

"Walkers?" Faye looked up at him, trying to look normal again.

"The dead people."

"Oh, yeah. Makes sense, I guess."

Once again, they walked in silence. Later in the day, Faye asked Daryl whether he wanted some of her paracetamol when he started to walk funny, but he said it wouldn't help and Faye wasn't surprised.

The two made surprisingly good progress throughout the day, and Faye soon worked out Daryl was smart when it came to being in the wild.

She just did what he told her to.

It seemed like the right thing to do.

* * *

Like Daryl had said, Faye put her gun away as they neared the farm.

Daryl had started to limp earlier on and really needed to be treated on the arrow wound and was now dragging his cross bow along the ground - he ignored her offer to carry it for him. Come to think of it, they both looked a mess, covered in dirt and, in Daryl's case, blood. In the end, Faye had gone with the he-hurt-his-head-so-he's-a-little-crazy-at-the-moment explanation, and the possible infection he now had wasn't helping.

"There it is." As the trees thinned out, the older man gave a jab in the direction of a house, which Faye assumed was the farm. Suddenly feeling nervous again, Faye moved behind Daryl as they emerged from the tree line. Walking slowly behind him into the light, she realised just how bad Daryl looked. She looked down at her own dirt-covered clothes, and realised she didn't look much better.

Then she noticed the figures approaching them fast. As they grew closer, she definitely didn't miss the weapons the four men were carrying. As they stopped in front of them both, Faye edged closer to Daryl's back.

"Erm, Daryl..." Faye said quietly, almost a squeak. "Are- are they gonna shoot us?"

He turned round and gave her a little smirk as one of the men muttered something. "Nah, they ain't got the guts." He looked at the man with the silver gun. "That's the third time you pointed that thing at my head! You gonna pull the trigger or what? Gonna shoot her too?" He lazily threw a hand back in Faye's direction. "Hell, she ain't Sophia, but I found her out there! Gonna kill us anyway?"

The man put his gun down and Faye relaxed little, ignoring the _second_ comment of her not being Sophia, and looked at the men. There was a dark skinned, muscular man, an Asian boy, the guy with the silver gun, and a bald man with his shirt open. She made a mental note to ask why his shirt wasn't done up.

The silver-gun man took a step forward and raised a hand as if he was about to say hello to her, when a shot rang out.

Faye let out a small scream as Daryl collapsed backwards on to her and she struggled to hold him up.

"No!" The first man shouted as he immediately ran over to help.

Faye was trembling a little, afraid the man who just saved her was going to die. "Oh my God, oh my God, Daryl, you're bleeding, Daryl!"

It didn't occur to her that Daryl touching his own head wound meant he was alive, but then the open-shirt guy and silver-gun guy helped shift Daryl's weight over to them and he spoke.

"I was kidding..." Daryl then proceeded to pass out.

Faye was still freaking out. "You- you shot him! He's your friend!"

Open-shirt guy scoffed, but she got an answer elsewhere. "That wasn't me. Don't worry, he's just unconscious. We can fix him, but we need to know what happened."

The muscular man put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, how about you tell us your name first?"

As the two began to carry Daryl to the farm, Faye awkwardly picked up the dropped cross bow and looked up. "Faye Robbins." She then ran up to where Daryl was being lifted.

Silver-gun man spoke hurriedly, but was obviously trying to be kind despite the situation. "Nice to meet ya, Faye, I'm Rick."

"Introductions can wait." The bald man said. "What the hell happened?"

"Yeah, why is he wearing ears?" The Asian boy finally spoke.

"Oh, so the ear thing isn't normal?" She asked, sounding surprisingly innocent. They shook their heads. "He said it was a trophy."

"Well, let's just keep that to ourselves." Rick said, pulling away the shoelace and stuffing it in a pocket.

Before she could say what the actual story was, two more people ran over. The woman was definitely in distress. "Oh my God, is he dead?"

"Unconscious." Rick repeated. "You just grazed him."

"It was you that shot him?" Faye still found it hard to believe.

The woman frowned. "Sophia?"

Faye frowned harder. "Faye."

This was the third time someone had said that.

The blonde blinked, before carrying on. "Yes, sorry, of course."

"Great, now what the hell happened?"

Faye was beginning to dislike this man.

"Cool it, Shane. Let's just get Daryl dealt with."

Faye was beginning to dislike Shane.

"Guys, isn't this Sophia's?"

"Yeah, yeah! Daryl said it was hers!" Faye said, nodding her head at the other man. "At the creek!"

"He found it at the creek?" Rick asked. He turned to the others. "That cuts the grid almost in half."

"Awesome, the grid gets cut, can you help Daryl, now? He already got shot with an arrow and hurt his head _and then _you shot him!" Faye said, hoping to sound grown up.

Rick gave the unconscious Daryl another look before speaking. "Let's do that."

* * *

Authors Note:

There's chapter two, out nice and quick. Thank you for follows and reviews.

I think I should say, not every update will be out so quickly. Right now, however, I have a few written chapters ready while I work on the next ones.

Hope you enjoyed!

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame


	3. Unwanted

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

"Awesome, the grid gets cut, can you help Daryl, now? He already got shot with an arrow and hurt his head _and then _you shot him!" Faye said, hoping to sound grown up.

Rick gave the unconscious Daryl another look before speaking. "Let's do that."

* * *

Rick and Shane had taken Daryl to the farmer, Hershel, and Rick then assured Faye he had been taken care of. Rick had then pulled out a map and asked her to show where she had been, hoping to narrow down their search for Sophia even further.

Faye was fine with helping them, but thought the whole mistaking her for Sophia was starting to get on her nerves. This short-haired woman had run up to the group and Faye could see she the huge disappointment that it was her and not their little girl. Faye was important too! Why did they have to ignore her just because she wasn't the right person?

As Rick showed her where the creek was, Shane wandered over too.

"That's the creek there, think you can tell us where you've been?" He gave her a small smile and waited patiently.

Putting her finger on the paper, she trailed it east a little way. "The group stayed here, near the Cedar Grove Park. When I left camp, I stayed around that area for a little while, then I came out here." The finger moved along a main road for a little while before following a small road up to a house. "Got bored of the road, so I went up there to see where the little one went. Turned out to be a house, so I stayed there for the night."

"You got bored, so you followed a random road that lead into a forest?" Shane raised an eyebrow.

"Yep." She ignored the sarcasm. "The next day, I went into the woods. Then I found Daryl, and I told you what happened then." Faye ignored the look she was given as Rick asked her if she'd seen anyone. "No. Daryl was the first."

"Thank you. That doesn't cut down much of the area, but at least we know." He rolled up the map and walked off, telling the girl he would see her later.

Was that all he really wanted to know?

Apparently, Shane noticed her confusion. "Daryl told us 'bout the camp and your family. Sorry ya had to go through that."

Surprisingly, Faye didn't feel angry about Daryl telling them this. She wouldn't have to say it herself, at least. To Shane, she shrugged.

"I'm surprised you went with him at all. Hiding behind him like that, I'd a thought a little girl would run from a crazy guy with ears hanging from his neck."

Faye immediately scowled. "I went with him because he was a guy with a doll searching for a lost girl. I hid behind him because you guys were aiming weapons at us. What do you think a little girl would do then?"

Faye turned on her heels and walked away.

* * *

There's only so much exploring you can do before you get bored.

Faye pretty much met that limit.

The only place she hadn't been was the barn, which she'd been turned away from by Maggie. She didn't mind all that much though, apparently all that was in there was a cow. Cows were boring, anyway. She'd asked Maggie if they had any sheep instead. Unfortunately, the woman had said no.

(She'd also asked why Shane had his top undone, but Maggie had just laughed at her.)

She wasn't allowed to talk to Daryl, who was resting, and the other kid Carl was still in bed. They had both been shot.

So, Faye was bored.

Feeling slightly defeated, Faye sat against a tree, knees brought against her chest. The sun had nearly gone down too, so there wasn't much she could do anyway.

Looking up, she saw the old man from before sat on the RV. She guessed he was on watch. Faye decided she liked his hat, her dad wore a similar one when he went fishing once. He wasn't all that-

"Hi there. I don't think we've been introduced." The man interrupted Faye's thoughts, but she didn't mind. He wanted to meet _her _and not talk about Sophia!

"I'm Faye."

"I'm Dale. Nice to meet you." He gave her a smile. "Have you met everyone yet?"

"I've _seen _everyone."

"Alright. Well, that lady over there is Carol, for a start." Faye looked to where Dale was pointing and looked around the tree trunk.

Oh. It was _that _lady, the one who didn't like her. The woman gave her a little wave and Faye smiled a little in response. Whether she liked the woman or not, she didn't want to be rude. "She's Sophia's Mom." Dale added quietly.

_Ooh. _That made sense now. Faye felt a little mean for her previous thoughts, but the annoyance stayed in her mind.

Dale went on to point out all the other group members, or simply name them if they weren't close enough.

When they were done, Faye questioned Dale. "Can I ask something?"

"Sure."

"Why is Shane's top open?"

Dale immediately chuckled at her question. "Of _all _the things you could've asked, that's what you pick?"

"Well, I thought it was kinda important. Maggie didn't know either."

As Dale continued to chuckle, Glenn walked by. "What's funny?"

"Faye over here asked Maggie why Shane's top was undone."

Glenn gave a laugh as he continued on his way, and Faye frowned in confusion. "What, does no one know?"

"You'd have to ask Shane himself, and I don't think that would be a good idea."

Faye concluded that Shane's shirt was a mystery.

Silence then fell as Faye watched the sun go down, but from the corner of her eye, she could see Carol watching her. The girl couldn't tell if the look she was receiving was angry, sad, or something else.

Either way, it irritated her.

When Carol said nothing, Faye turned her head and spoke, her tone slightly more harsh than usual. "What do you want?"

The woman blinked in surprise before responding. "Oh, it's nothing. I should go, erm, help finish dinner."

"Carol." Faye turned to see Dale call over the woman. Reluctantly, she went over to him as Dale climbed off the RV.

Watching the two talk, Faye could tell it was about her. She stood up, deciding she didn't want to hear more about the whole Sophia deal. However, about to walk off, Faye couldn't help but hear them.

"I'd started to accept it, you know. That we weren't going to find her. But then Daryl comes back, and he's got a doll, and he has _a girl_! I thought my little girl was back, all muddied up but alive. But then it's _not_ her and it's started over again, hoping she will come back."

"Well, I'm _sorry_ I disappointed you so much," Faye snapped, startling the two adults. "But you don't have to act like I'm a mistake! Like Daryl just picked up the wrong person! I'm Faye! Not Sophia! I'm just as important!"

"Now, I'm sure Ca-"

Faye didn't listen to him. "I don't care. Just because you lost a little girl doesn't mean you can act like I'm not good enough."

Apparently, Faye's voice had been loud enough for Shane and Andrea to hear, as they both came to see what was going on as the girl continued. "I lost people too, you know! At least Sophia could still be out there! My Dad isn't coming back, my brother isn't coming back, I know for sure because I'm the one who killed them! You should be happy!"

Shane finally spoke while Dale and Carol simply stared at the little girl in shock. "Hey, hey, now, let's calm down and see what set this off."

"Let's not." She grabbed her backpack and slung it on her shoulder. "I'm not the little girl you want, anyway. I might as well leave." Faye snapped.

"Who said anything like that?" Shane continued.

"Didn't need to say it." Faye spun round and sped off in the other direction.

Dale stopped Shane when he made a move to follow the girl.

"We can't just let her run off, she won't make it out there!" Andrea said.

"I'll go. This is just a little girl who doesn't want to be ignored." Dale reasoned. "She just found a group after days of being alone and probably just want to talk."

Shane rubbed his head in annoyance while Dale walked off to find Faye.

Carol quickly dismissed herself to finish dinner. Maybe food would cheer everyone up.

* * *

Faye hadn't actually left the farm. She was smart enough to know that if she left now, she could be caught unaware by a walker in the dark. If she was going to leave, it would be in the morning, as early as possible.

So, in the meantime, Faye had run around the house and climbed a tree, hoping the group would leave her alone.

"I see you've made a nest up there."

Darn. She hadn't climbed high enough.

"I'm not a bird." Faye replied, not looking at the man.

"Don't have to be a bird to make a nest."

Faye glared at him. "What do you want?"

In return, he smiled. "I'd like to have a chat."

"What's the point? I'm going in the morning. I can take care of myself, you can't stop me."

"Who said I was trying to stop you?"

Faye's eyes narrowed. "Then go away!"

"I don't think I'll do that either."

"You're really annoying." Faye crossed her arms.

His smiling continued. "So I've been told." Neither spoke for a few moments, then Dale continued. "So, about that chat." When the girl didn't protest, he spoke. "Why don't we start with why you want to leave so much."

"Because I'm not wanted."

"What makes you think that? Daryl brought you back, didn't he?"

Faye rolled her eyes. "You know the first thing he said to me? _You ain't Sophia._ You ain't Sophia!? No, I'm not Sophia! Daryl probably just brought me back because he would feel bad if he left a child alone in a forest."

"So, what bothers you is that you think we want you to be Sophia?" Faye nodded. "I see. How about you look at it from Carol's point of view?"

"How am I supposed to do that? I'm not someone's Mom and I never had a Mom in the first place." Faye scowled.

"Alright." He nodded, raising a hand as if to apologise. "What if it was one of your family?" He paused, looking to see if he could go on. When her scowl didn't worsen, he continued. "What if it was your brother? And Daryl had gone searching for him, but brought back a different boy? Would it make_ you_ feel better?"

Looking at the older man, Faye considered it. No, it wouldn't. Not really. She'd want Andy back - and she still did, still hoped it had been a nightmare. She looked down, not wanting to admit he was right. Dale seemed to notice anyway.

"You see?" Reluctantly, she nodded. "You said you could take care of yourself, you want to be treated like an adult?" Again, Faye nodded. "Then I'm going to treat you like one and ask you to forgive Carol, Daryl, and the rest of us for expecting you to be someone else."

Faye thought for a minute longer, before quietly speaking. "Okay."

"Good! Now then, why don't you come down and we carry this conversation over to the RV. It's comfier there."

"Huh?"

"What? I said I wanted a chat, not to try and keep you here."

The girl blinked at him before crossing her arms and huffing. "I said I'd forgive you, not that I'd stay!"

Faye _was_ planning to stay, but was determined not to give in to his argument _that _easily. Dad had always said she was stubborn.

"Where would you go? You're safe with us, no matter how dysfunctional this group is."

"Dysfunctional?"

"Doesn't work properly."

"The group doesn't work properly?"

"Never mind!" Dale flicked his hands about to dismiss the subject. "Come on, down you get."

After a few more minutes of protest, Faye clumsily dropped down from the tree and walked with Dale to the RV. As he promised, they'd had a chat. Deciding that she liked Dale, she told him about the camp, Michael, and eventually Andy and her Dad.

Surprisingly, Faye didn't cry. Dale questioned her about it, but she had simply shrugged and said crying was a waste of energy.

When Carol returned with news of dinner, however, Faye decided to stay on the RV.

"I can't leave you out here. Don't you want any dinner?"

"I can have left overs. If I go in now, I'll have to say sorry in front of _everyone _and that's embarrassing!" Faye crossed her legs, staying where she was. "Besides, you need someone on watch, right? You said you'd treat me like an adult."

Dale sighed. "Fine. But if you see anything, you have to run and get us _immediately. _Promise?"

"Promise!" Faye chirped, happy to be given a job.

"And you have to apologise to Carol later, promise?"

"Promise!"

And so, Faye was left alone. Starting to get a little cold, Faye picked up her backpack and took out the pale green hoodie. As she untangled it, the Glock fell into her lap, surprising the girl slightly. After safely putting it back in the bag - double checking the safety was on - Faye slipped the large jumper over her head and curled up on the seat.

It was quite peaceful to sit there, with the stars out. Faye wasn't sure how long she was sat there before someone came to see her, but she could smell the food when they did.

"I brought you something."

Faye was surprised to hear that it was in fact Carol who had brought her the plate. The woman placed the food on the roof before climbing up to hand it over herself.

"Erm, thank you." Faye said quietly. Carol nodded at her, and was about to turn away when Faye continued, guiltily brushing her fringe behind her ear and looking down. "I'm really sorry I shouted at you. I _do _want you to find Sophia and I'm sorry I was kinda mean about her. It's just, you know, I got upset."

"It's alright." Carol gave the young girl a warm smile. "I'm sorry too."

Faye blinked, but smiled back. That had been easier than she thought. Carol continued as she moved next to the chair Faye was sat on. "It's good that you're here, it gives me hope. If you survived by yourself, then Sophia might be able to as well."

"Yeah, 'course she could." Faye paused. "Is Daryl okay?" Faye asked.

The woman nodded. "He's fine, just needs some rest. You can see him tomorrow, if you like."

The young girl smiled. "Good! He was a bit messed up when I first saw him."

"Daryl's tough, you don't need to worry about him." Carol patted the girl's head lightly before speaking in a slightly sterner voice. "Now, eat your dinner before it gets cold. When you're done, we can set you up a bed in my tent."

"In your tent?"

"Sure. You look tired, you need a good night's rest."

Faye decided to eat inside the RV, it was warmer there. The RV was a bit old fashioned, but the sign that said 'How about a nice cup of shut the hell up' made Faye smile a little.

Before she went to bed, Faye told Dale how she had apologised to Carol and he praised her before directing her to the woman's tent. As they rolled a sleeping bag out, Faye spoke.

"Where's the other kid? Is he still really injured?"

"Who, Carl?" Faye nodded. "His wound was quite bad, but he should be up and about by tomorrow, I think. You can meet him then."

"Cool, I haven't seen other kids in ages."

Faye propped up her backpack near her head and lay down, looking towards the sky. Staying here wouldn't be so bad after all, she decided.

Turning on her side, Faye drifted to sleep.

* * *

Author's Note:

Hope you enjoyed chapter three. Thank you for the follows, favourites and the reviewers!

Chapter four will be out on Saturday, so I'll see you then.

Please review, I love to hear your thought's and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame


	4. Secrets

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

Faye propped up her backpack near her head and lay down, looking towards the sky. Staying here wouldn't be so bad after all, she decided.

Turning on her side, Faye drifted to sleep.

* * *

Faye's night hadn't been as restful as she had hoped. Nightmares plagued her dreams, with images that she was beginning to realise would never fade away. Carol had woken her up once as she had been tossing and turning in her sleep.

When her eyes opened for the final time, light was flooding through the tent. Realising she had probably slept in, Faye sleepily pushed the sleeping bag away and pulled on her boots, tucking in the jeans. Noticing a brush that must have been laid out for her, Faye ran it through her hair quickly before leaving the tent.

Rubbing her eyes, Faye yawned and looked around the tents. She was right, everyone was already up.

"Hey." Faye turned around to see a nervous looking Glenn.

"Hi. Did I sleep for too long?"

Glenn shook his head. "No, it's alright. Have a peach, you're probably starving." He jerked out his arm so she could take one of the fruit. As soon as she took one, he nodded to her and walked away. When Faye looked in the direction he went, he saw him talking to Lori. Faye decided not to bother him.

Unsure what to do with herself, Faye decided to go visit the two horses in the stables she'd seen the day before. As she walked over, the sun immediately shone brightly in her eyes. Deciding wearing the hoodie would only make her sweat, Faye tugged it off and tied it around her waist before carrying on the walk.

"Hey, wait up!" A voice called from behind her. Faye stopped to look who it was, and was pleasantly surprised to see a boy around her age walking towards her. "Your Faye, right? I'm Carl!"

Faye blinked at his welcoming smile and happy tone. It was a surprising, but welcome, change to an adult attitude. She hadn't seen another child in what _felt_ like years. "Hi." She replied, simply.

"Where are you going?"

"To see the horses. I wasn't sure what to do, so..."

The two began to walk as Carl continued. "Well, you slept in. You could've come with me to feed the chickens."

"Chickens?"

Carl hummed a yes. As the two walked on, Carl held up most of the conversation. He mentioned gun training, and Faye remembered she had to slip in somewhere that she already had a gun. When there was a pause, however, Faye questioned him. "You got shot, right?"

He nodded. "And you're just... okay with that?"

They reached the stables as he gave another firm nod. "I've got my family here, and Shane and Sophia, and now you too. I'm okay."

As the children walked inside, Faye noticed one of the doors were open. Upon investigation, Faye found a new horse. Carl followed her and smiled. "Did that one just wander in?"

Faye shrugged. "Must have. Should we tell Hershel?"

"Yeah." Carl shut the door of the stable, and they quickly went back to the house. After they couldn't see the farmer outside, they knocked on the door.

When Hershel saw it was the children, he smiled warmly. "Why, what can I help you two with?"

Carl grinned. "There's another horse in the stable!"

"Do you think it's the one Daryl had?" Faye smiled, still slightly smug that she had _really_ heard the horse. Of course, no one else would actually know this.

Hershel looked slightly surprised, but pleased all the same. "That'll be Nervous Nelly, come home. I'll go check on her. Thank you for letting me know."

After this, Carl eyed the RV for a little while. He excused himself when Carol came over to speak to Faye. "Finally up, hmm?"

Faye nodded and brushed her fringe behind her ear. "Sorry I slept too long."

"Don't worry about it, you needed the rest. It wasn't a great night." Carol smiled. "Want to see Daryl?"

The younger girl immediately brightened up. "Yeah!"

Carol showed Faye to the door of the tent and when she stepped in, Daryl turned his head and gave a half smile. "Hey, kid."

"Hi! Are you okay?" Faye sat crossed legged on the floor.

"Got patched up, so yeah. You alright here?"

"I'm good. Tired, though. Didn't get much sleep."

Daryl lost the look. "I heard. I also heard ya shouted at Carol."

Faye felt guilty all over again. "I know, but I said sorry! Just got a bit mad, is all."

"Good." Daryl gave a little nod. "Everyone been okay with you?"

"Carol and Carl are nice. I didn't like Rick and Shane at first. Rick's okay though. Dale's cool too and Glenn gave me a peach, but I think he gave everybody one."

Slight amusement showed on Daryl's face. "Why's Rick okay, but not Shane?"

"'Cause Rick is nice. Shane was mean, then he was nice for a minute, but then he was mean again. And his top was open the _whole _time and no one knows why and it annoys me!"

Daryl snorted. "Shane's full of it, I ain't surprised. Ignore 'im."

"I don't think he likes me. I think it's 'cause I said that I was afraid of him and I wasn't afraid of you."

"Like I said, ignore 'im." Daryl seemed slightly smug that the girl had said that, but there were barely any traces of it on his face.

The two sat in comfortable silence for a minute or two as Faye settled on the floor, when Daryl spoke. "You told 'em you gotta gun yet?"

"No." Faye shook her head.

"I didn't tell 'em ya had one."

"They're gonna find out later anyway, there's gun training."

The conversation went on a little longer before Faye left to check on her backpack, once she realised she had left it unattended in the tent. Faye decided to keep the bag with her, just in case someone might look in it.

Walking out the tent, Faye noticed Carl leave the RV. When he saw her, he walked over, looking pleased with himself.

"What are you so ha-" She eyed his the side of his shirt. "What's that? You didn't have it before."

He looked around suspiciously before taking Faye behind a tree. Lifting the side of his top, Faye saw the gun. "I want them to teach me to use a gun! I got it from the RV."

Faye resisted the urge to slap her forehead. "You are a dumbass."

Startled at her words, Carl was going to protest, but was cut off when the girl continued. "You think they are going to let you use a gun when they find out you _stole _one? You think that's going to gain their trust?"

"What? Don't you want to learn too?"

"I already know!" Faye crossed her arms in annoyance. "My Dad taught me when this all started. But do you know how long it took for him to trust me with a gun? Doesn't matter that the wait was frustrating, it made him think I was mature. And you think they aren't going to notice? Shane and your Dad were _policemen_! They have been trained with guns and you don't think they'll notice?"

Carl frowned at her. "Why are you getting so mad?"

"Because you didn't think."

The boy sighed, but was undeterred. "You'll see. It'll just make them think I'm eager. I'm gonna go talk to Shane."

Faye rolled her eyes. "Fine, go ahead."

Carl nodded firmly. Walking back round the tree, he started to go to Shane, but turned back around. "I'm not a dumbass! You're not allowed to talk like that."

"What? It's not a swear and I needed a bigger word that idiot." Faye's smirked. "Tell you what, if they trust you with a gun, I'll never say it again."

Carl grinned. "They will!"

"Sure!"

* * *

"_Carl is a dumbass!_"

Faye poked her head around the tree and sung quietly, taunting Carl. The boy had been caught easily by Shane, and his parents were talking it over. Faye, however, was extremely pleased with herself.

Carl gave an unimpressed look. "You're not helping." He whispered back.

"Who said I was helping you, dumbass?"

He turned away and watched his parents talk, making a point of ignoring the girl. Faye frowned. Sighing, she came out from behind the tree and on the ground near him, hopefully unseen by the adults. "Look, I think you should be able to use a gun, too, you need to defend yourself. But you're doing it all wrong. Adults want to hear that you're mature and won't play with something that might shoot their faces off."

Turning his head towards the girl slightly and gave a small smile. Then, as Lori said something, he stood up and spoke. "I'm not gonna play with it, Mom; it's not a toy. I'm sorry I disappointed you. But I want to look for Sophia and I want to defend our camp. I can't do that without a gun."

Faye nodded in approval. _That _was more like it.

Rick said some more, and then Lori moved Carl's head up to meet her eyes. "You will take this seriously and you will behave responsibly and if I hear from anyone in this camp that you are not living up to our expecta-"

"He won't let you down." Rick said to his wife, but his eyes were on Carl.

"Yeah." Carl said firmly. "But can Faye come too?"

Faye scowled at the boy from her spot. She already knew how to shoot! She didn't need teaching!

The adults looked at each other. Dale spoke first. "We can't teach one and not the other." Rick nodded.

"Alright then, Faye, come out." Shane said. Faye's face reddened as she was found. Standing up, the girl stood besides Carl as Shane bent to their level. "You okay with learnin' to use a gun?"

"I already know. My Dad taught me."

Shane paused for a moment at the information, but continued. "That's good. But there's no harm in checkin' it over and testing your aim. We gotta find you the right size gun, too."

Here we go. Faye shook her head. "I've got that too."

"You've got a gun?" Rick said as Shane stood up. "Where'd you get it?"

"My brother gave it to me. I don't need another."

"Show us." Shane said. Faye could sense he wasn't joking around, and saw the annoyed look on Carl's face, and pulled the Glock out her backpack. "You had this the whole time? You should have told us you had it."

"I did!" Faye retorted and Shane raised an eyebrow. "Daryl knew!"

Rick sighed. "You still should have told me or Shane. Mind if I look it over?"

"It's a Glock 19 and only has two rounds left in it and the safety is on." Faye held the gun up to show them, but didn't hand it over. Rick and Shane looked at each other for a moment before scolding Faye once more.

After this, however, the subject was dropped and the two children were taken to the cars.

* * *

"So, the first thing you want to do is check the-"

Shane had taken ages to pick out a gun for Carl and give her the right bullets, so Faye was beginning to ignore his slow explanations and prepared her gun by herself. Once she heard the click of the magazine, she flicked off the safety and turned to look at the targets. Not noticing Carl had stopped to watch her, Faye raised the pistol.

Aiming at the can, she fired.

There was a moment of silence before Carl spoke, nudging Faye with his arm. "That was cool until you missed."

"Shut up."

Shane walked forward. "Like I said, you might know how to load it quickly, that don't matter if ya can't hit the target. Now, if ya _wait _for me to help Carl, we can work on aiming."

It wasn't _Faye's _fault she missed. The target was too small and too far away. _Totally_ not her fault.

A small competition began between the two children, and Shane took advantage of this. Faye had tried again with Carl, hitting her target, while Carl missed his first. They both hit the next, then Faye missed, and so on. Either way, by the end, they were both hitting the cans.

"Hey!" Carl said to her as they walked to the cars. "I remember the word."

"The word for what?"

"Hypocrite!" He said quietly, as if whispering a secret. "You're a hypocrite! You call me a dumbass for hiding a gun, and then you have one yourself!"

"One: I didn't take the gun, it was mine. Two: I didn't hide it in plain sight. That makes you a dumbass and me smart." She whispered back.

"Well, yeah, but you're still a hypocrite." Carl crossed his arms.

"Well, yeah, you're still a dumbass." Faye smirked, knowing it annoyed the boy. Carl was about to reply, when his Lori walked by him, patting him on the shoulder as they climbed into the car.

"I think we should stop calling each other names. Mom or Dad might hear."

Faye shrugged. "Your parents, not mine."

Carl didn't reply, and Faye realised he was probably unsure whether she was going to talk about her family or not. She wasn't, but didn't want to ruin the boys mood. Smiling at him, she told him how they might be allowed to help search for Sophia. This immediately brightened him up.

On the ride home, Carl held up most of the conversation. Faye didn't mind, she spoke whenever she needed to.

The boy was becoming her friend.

It was from then that Faye began to realise how much finding this girl meant to Carl. She was his friend. The idea of finding her gave him hope.

Carl was easy to get along with, he was cheerful. Faye decided she wanted to keep it this way, which meant they had to find Sophia.

So, without even meeting the girl, Faye decided she liked Sophia. If one little girl could make everyone hopeful, then Faye wanted to be her friend too.

What Faye had seen was more than enough to give her nightmares. It haunted her when she was alone, awake or asleep.

What Faye had seen was what she wanted to keep away from Carl and Sophia.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thank you for all the reviews, they make me smile!

Is Daryl OOC here? I thought, since he was trying hard for Sophia, he would at least try to be nice with Faye. I'm not sure if I'm happy with his part, so let me know if it's to your standards! :)

The next chapter will be up on either Tuesday as I have some homework to be getting on with, but I've been writing instead.

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks

Cobalt Flame


	5. Collapse

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

So, without even meeting the girl, Faye decided she liked Sophia. If one little girl could make everyone hopeful, then Faye wanted to be her friend too.

What Faye had seen was more than enough to give her nightmares. It haunted her whenever she was alone, awake or asleep.

What Faye had seen was what she wanted to keep away from Carl and Sophia.

* * *

It had been another nightmare filled sleep that night. Faye guessed it was because she had started to use the gun again, but didn't tell the adults this - they might take it away from her. She'd get over it.

Carol had woken her up in the early hours of the morning, after more tossing and turning. Faye had apologised to her for waking the woman, but Carol said it was no trouble.

When Lori came into the tent to wake Faye up, she knew they'd let her sleep in again. Not as much, this time, but it still annoyed her.

"Hey, sweetheart," Why was she talking so nicely to her? Oh, Carol had probably mentioned the bad night. "You wanna get up for breakfast? Carl's waiting for you."

Sitting out of her curled up position, Faye gave a nod as she rubbed her eyes. She pulled her legs out the sleeping bag and Lori left the tent, not before showing Faye the clothes Carol left out for her. They must have been Sophia's, Faye concluded. She disliked the purple colour of the t-shirt and thought it would be weird to wear someone else's clothes, but if yesterday was anything to go by, it was going to be too hot to wear the green hoodie on top. Once she was dressed, Faye stepped out the tent with a little yawn.

Carl waved and beckoned her to come sit with him. She did so, and the girl was given a plate of breakfast by Carol. Faye was happy to see Daryl sat on a chair instead of in bed, and he acknowledged her with a nod. The two children talked between themselves for a little while - Faye _wasn't_ pleased to hear that Lori had plans to make them do schoolwork later - before Glenn stood up before the group.

"Erm, guys," Not everyone looked up him as he spoke. Then he continued.

"So, the barn's full of walkers."

* * *

Everyone had rushed to the barn immediately, and Faye could hear the faint moans from inside. There were definitely walkers in there.

To say Shane was pissed off was an understatement. He was currently ranting at Rick. "We're gonna go in there, we're gonna make things right or we just gotta go. Now, we've been talking 'bout Fort Benning for a long time-"

"We can't go!" Rick said.

"Why, Rick, why?"

Carol spoke up. "Because my daughter's still out there."

Exactly! Faye was glad Carol had stepped up and said something. She didn't really want to leave this place, anyway. It was miles safer than her old camp was, and she could tell the others liked it here too.

Shane ran his hands down his face. "I think it's time we start to consider the other possibility-"

"Shane!" Rick stepped forward. "We're not leaving Sophia behind."

"I'm close to findin' this girl, I just found a damn doll a few days ago!" Daryl snapped.

"Yeah, that's what you did Daryl, you found a _doll._" Shane said back. There was a pause.

Faye could see the anger on Daryl's face, and without thinking, spoke. "Why shouldn't Sophia be able to survive?" The adults turned in her direction in surprise. "I did. Weren't me and her doing the same thing? Some walkers came through and we ran off by ourselves. I survived, so can she."

"Yeah!" Carl stepped beside the girl, nodding his head.

Shane was clearly annoyed at her comment, but held back now that Carl stood with her. "Here's the difference: You had a _gun. _You had a _knife._ You were _taught, _isn't that what ya keep sayin'? This girl hasn't got _anything_."

Faye was beginning to regret speaking.

"So you think she's dead?" Carl asked.

Lori came forward and put a hand on Carl's shoulder. "Come on, don't get involved." She said quietly. The boy moved back with his mother and Faye followed, deciding speaking up had been a bad idea.

The two children could only watch as a fight began to break out. The conflict scared Faye a little, but Dale intervened. "Hershel sees those things as people. Sick people. His wife, his step-son."

"You knew?" Rick asked.

Dale nodded. "Yesterday. I talked to Hershel."

"And you waited the night?" Shane said, pointing a finger at the older man.

"I thought we could survive one more night. We did. I was waiting 'till this morning to say something but Glenn wanted to be the one."

"The man is crazy, Rick," Shane raised his voice. "If Hershel thinks those things are alive, they're _NOT!_"

Everyone jumped as walkers banged against the door, their growls louder. The group watched in fear as the doors rattled and were pushed forward slightly.

Luckily, the barn really was secure and the doors stayed closed.

Shane then ordered everyone to stay away from the barn, wanting to keep a watch on it. Faye was fine with this, she didn't want to stay near the walker-infested building anyway. People were still shaken up after the event, and as Rick went to speak to Hershel, they returned to their jobs.

* * *

Unfortunately, Lori's job turned out to be making Carl and Faye do maths problems. As the woman sat Carl down and Faye made an excuse to go back to the tent, hoping for a few more minutes _not _doing work. What was the point in school anymore?

After a few minutes, Faye grew bored of waiting, and guessed Lori would come and get her soon anyway.

Faye was walking over to where they were sitting, but noticed the private moment between Carl and his mother. Watching them hug almost made her sad, she'd never had a mother to do things like that. Then she realised that not having a Mom hadn't really taken away from her childhood. Living with her Dad and brother was good.

_Had been good._

Faye wasn't really all that girly because of it, but that was probably a good thing now. Both her brother and Dad had been quite sporty and played basketball, so Faye knew a little about that. They'd put a hoop in the back garden so they could all play, but Faye always came last. She didn't mind all that much, though, Dad had said that she'd be better when she was taller.

"Faye!" Lori's voice brought Faye back to reality, realising she'd been lost in thought longer than it felt.

"Coming!"

* * *

Carl had finished before Faye had. Faye claimed it was because he had a head start, but maths wasn't Faye's strong point. Science was more her thing.

But anyway, Faye hadn't yet finished her work while Carl was reading a comic book. He'd moved away from the table and sat against a log once Lori left and, not wanting to be left alone, Faye moved with him.

"Haven't you finished that yet?" Carl asked.

"No." When Carl chuckled a little, she glared at him. "Maybe if you _helped _me, I'd be reading comics too."

"Nah. It makes _you _look like a dumbass."

Faye raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought you said we weren't gonna say that anymore?"

"I thought you said you didn't care?" Carl gave a smile. "My Mom and Dad don't have to know. It's funny!"

"I think I'm a bad influence on you." Faye went back to the problems. "Especially don't tell Shane. He'll bite my head off for making you say that."

"No, he won't."

"He would've if you hadn't stood with me at the barn!"

Carl shook his head. "Shane's just scared of the walkers in the barn."

"_I'm _scared of the walkers in the barn, we all are. _He _thinks Sophia is dead." Faye retorted. To this, Carl didn't reply. Shrugging, she went back to the last few questions of the book. After a few minutes, Carl was apparently bored of Faye's silence, and helped her with the last problem.

"It's 63. Not 54."

"Oh. Thanks." Putting aside the book, Carl moved over to let Faye read the comic too. A little while later, Faye looked away, eyes on the barn. "Do you think Hershel is right?"

"About what?" Carl frowned.

"About the walkers being sick."

"I'm not sure." He said. "But they're dangerous. We have to protect ourselves from them, sick or not."

"And that's just it? What if they are? If they are just sick, if there really is a person in there, that means we're murderers. That means _I'm_ a murderer." Faye looked down, staring at the ground. She wasn't sure how much Carl had been told, but he was bound to guess what had happened if he hadn't already.

"You're not bad. It's not your fault." Carl smiled at her, waiting for her head to raise. "You didn't kill them."

"I put bullets in their head's, Carl!" The boy was startled by her blunt outburst, but let her speak. "Tell me how that isn't killing them!"

Carl thought for a while, before finally coming up with an answer. "I think they _are_ dead. I don't think there's a sickness that makes you eat people. It's like... It's like it's just a shell left over. You didn't kill them, because they weren't there anymore."

Faye was surprised. She didn't think he'd thought it through so much. "You really think that?"

"Yeah. I do." Carl nodded. "You don't need to work yourself up over it, or have nightmares."

Faye blinked at him. "I heard Carol tell Mom. We're gonna stay here and Sophia's gonna come back and everyone's gonna be happy. That includes you."

"You've just... decided this? Just like that?"

"Yes! Someone's gotta make you listen."

Faye snorted. "I don't have to listen to anybody!"

"Sure you don't, hypocrite."

"Shut up, dumbass."

They continued to talk for a while, the topic much less serious, but the children were interrupted by the approaching Shane. "Well, if _you've_ decided for the _whole_ group that we're staying, you better start with him."

Carl hummed a 'yes' and stood up as Shane walked by them. "Hey, Shane, can I talk to you for a sec?"

The man turned around, looking at them, before speaking to him. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I know you think Sophia's dead and that we should stop looking for her, but that's- that's bullshit."

Faye's eyes widened in surprise. Unsure whether to burst out laughing or holding her head in frustration, she watched on as Shane scolded Carl. "Hey, man, watch your mouth."

"We're gonna stay here until we find her." Carl continued, firmly. Shane was obviously conflicted on how to respond.

"You think that's what we should do?"

"It's what I know we should do."

Faye held back a grin at Carl's words. She might not have liked Shane, but she wouldn't have been so blunt with him. "Then we stay. That means we gotta do whatever we gotta do to make that happen."

"Like help out with chores?"

Shane put a hand on Carl's shoulder and nodded. "Like help out with the chores."

"Carl! Come here for a minute." Lori shouted from over from where she was sat. Shane looked annoyed at this, but sent Carl over anyway - not without telling him not to swear. As Carl walked away, he gave a quick grin to Faye, obviously pleased with how that had gone, and she returned the look.

Faye could see Shane looking at her, but decided to ignore it, picking up the comic book.

"I don't appreciate you be against me at the barn." He said, breaking the silence.

She didn't look at him as she replied. "I was just saying what I thought."

"Didn't help much."

She didn't bother saying anything else.

"It's strange, you know, Carl talkin' like that."

Where was this going? "...Okay?" Faye hoped he wasn't going to get mad. People were scary when they were mad, especially Shane.

"Just leaves me wonderin' where he got it from. 'Cause I know he ain't gettin' that from us."

Faye frowned. "And you think he got that from me?" Would Carl have said that if she wasn't there?

"I think he didn't talk like that 'fore you were here."

He was biting her head off. _Quietly_. Quiet-angry people were the worst.

"You best be careful how you act around him, he ain't gotta be like you."

What was that supposed to mean? Did he... threaten her? She knew he was protective of Carl, but jeez, surely that was a little far. Shane didn't give her a chance to reply as he stalked off towards the RV.

Faye was left sitting, staring in the direction the man went.

* * *

Everyone was sat around the front - well, everyone that wasn't busy - and Faye was on the steps, leaning against the fence. Carl was playing a card game with Patricia and Beth, but Faye didn't feel like it. Currently, she was mulling over her thoughts of the barn.

However, the peaceful atmosphere began to leave as T-Dog, Andrea, Daryl and carol showed up, wondering where Rick was.

Then Shane arrived with a bag of guns, and all hell broke loose.

With Rick's approval or not, the barn was going to be cleared.

Just to make things worse, Jimmy, Rick and Hershel came back...

... With a couple of 'friends'.

Everyone raced down towards them immediately, and Shane started shouting.

"You see, you see what they're holding on to?" He shouted.

"I see who I'm holding on to!"

"Nah, man, you don't." Shane circled the group.

"Shane, just let us do this and then we can talk." Rick's reasoning didn't work.

"What you wanna talk about Rick?" Shane moved to the front. "These things ain't sick! They're not people! They're dead! Ain't gonna feel nothing 'cause all they do- they kill! These things right here. They killed Amy, they killed Otis!"

Faye wasn't who these people were, but from the look on Andrea and Patricia's faces, they must have been close.

"Hey, Hershel, man, let me ask you something." Shane pulled out a gun, and Faye backed away. She didn't want to see this. She didn't want to see this at all. "Could a living, breathing person, could they walk away from this?"

Gunshots rang out as Shane shot the female walker in the chest. He kept shooting it, and it kept coming.

"Shane! Enough!" Rick shouted.

"Yeah, you're right, man. That is enough." Shane strode up to the walker and shot it in the head. It collapsed to the ground, and Hershel with it. "Enough, risking our lives for a little girl who's gone! Enough, living near a barn full of things trying to kill us. Enough! Rick - it ain't like it was before! Now, if ya'll wanna live, if ya'll wanna survive, you gotta fight for it! And I'm talking about fighting right here, right now!"

There was more shouting as Shane ran to the barn and smashed the locks. Walkers came rushing out immediately, and the rest of the adults had no choice but to shoot them down. Faye looked over to Carl, but he was hiding behind Lori.

They were going to be kicked out!

They couldn't be kicked out, because out there was _death _and out there were the walkers and out there your camp got overrun and out there your family died and out-

Faye stopped herself as she noticed the tears running down her face. No one was there to stop her watching the walkers fall to the ground, and she saw the Greene family break down and Carl collapse in his mothers arms.

No, she had to be strong by herself. That was what Dad said. Willing the tears to stop, Faye buried her face in her hands as she waited.

When the gunfire stopped, Faye stood straight, hoping no one had noticed her small breakdown.

There was a moment of silence, before a final growl was heard, and out walked a small child.

Faye stood silently, realising they would have to shoot a mere child, when Carol ran forward, and burst into tears. "No, no, Sophia!"

No.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

Daryl caught Carol in her run, and she collapsed to the floor in tears and Carl was crying in his mothers arms.

It couldn't be her, it wasn't supposed to go like this! No, it wasn't fair!

As Rick walked forward, gun in hand, Faye realised that yes - this was happening.

Sophia was standing right in front of them - eyes white, shoulder bloody and snarling.

Sophia was a walker.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Hello again! Thank you for all your fantastic reviews - they make my day! :)

However, I seem to be having a problem that I receive the reviews a day or two late. Either way, I _still_ read them!

The next update will be on Friday, so I'll see you then!

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	6. Letting Go

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

As Rick walked forward, gun in hand, Faye realised that yes - this was happening.

Sophia was standing right in front of them - eyes white, shoulder bloody and snarling.

Sophia was a walker.

* * *

Rick shot Sophia.

The others are digging graves.

I'm sat in my tent, hiding.

From what, I'm not sure. I'm here anyway.

Dale had tried to stop me looking when Sophia was shot, but I still saw it. The old man seemed to be in shock too and didn't do a good enough job blocking me.

I've spent a lot of my time with Carl these few days, more than I originally expected. Should I be comforting him? Lori probably is, but Carl's my... my _friend_. And friends made each other feel better, right?

Then again, I'm not sure how _I'm _supposed to feel about this. Was I supposed feel sad? Because I did. Sad because I never met her, sad because Carl's plan could never happen, sad because the group was sad.

"Hey," Dale said quietly, peering into the tent. "You alright?"

I ignored the question. "Is everyone else okay?"

"As okay as can be expected." Dale beckoned me over to him, gently. "The funeral's going to start soon. You going to come?"

I hesitated before I spoke, but decided that yes, I would go. When a member of the old group died, Dad had said we should pay our respects, whether we knew them that well or not.

Standing up, Dale and I walked silently towards the graves.

* * *

"Faye?"

Later that day, Rick came to see Faye. It surprised her. At first, she thought he'd been looking for Carl, but he did _really _want to talk to her. Faye didn't complain, they hadn't had much of a conversation before. "Hi, Rick."

"Mind if I come in?"

He meant the tent, which she had retreated to again, and she nodded.

"I'm sorry that I have to make this quick, I have to find go find Hershel, but I have a big favour to ask."

A big favour? What could Faye do that Rick wanted? "Like what?"

The man bent down to Faye's level. "I'd like you to keep an eye on Carl, stick with him."

_Oh. _

"'Course, I can do that." Faye nodded. "Is something wrong?"

Rick smiled. "Just a parent's worries. Carl needs a friend. He might _act_ strong after... today's events, but I think he might let it out more if it was with someone his age."

Faye understood now. She hadn't actually spoken to Carl about it yet, but he looked surprisingly dry-eyed at the funeral. "Okay. I can help, I don't want him to be sad either."

"That's good. I'm glad you two get along." Rick stood up, but before he left, he continued. "Are _you _okay?"

Faye shrugged. "I guess. I didn't know Sophia, but it's still really sad." The funeral had been tough to stand through. It couldn't be forgotten that the Greene's had also lost their family members from that barn - they had just thought their relatives were sick. It must've been like the group they'd provided shelter for murdered them.

Rick gave a small nod before bidding the girl goodbye. "It was nice talking to you."

"Wait- Rick!"

The man turned, and Faye took a breath in and out. She'd been thinking about this since the burial, but wasn't sure if it would be appropriate.

"Do you think," She paused, getting the thoughts back together. "Do you think I could make some crosses and put them by the graves? For my Dad and my brother. It's just, you know, they never got a funeral." Faye finished quietly.

The cop's eyes softened as Faye looked down at her boots. "Of course you can."

"Thank you." Faye said, trying to stop her voice wavering. "Good luck finding Hershel." She gave a little wave as he left.

Faye lay back onto her sleeping back, mulling over her conversation with Rick. She was glad her first impression changed, Rick was nice to her.

Faye's thoughts were stopped momentarily by heavy footsteps passing by her tent, and she guessed it was Shane.

_Shane._

Shane was a whole other problem. He _clearly _didn't want her near Carl, but his opinion wasn't as important as Rick's, right? Rick was Carl's father, after all. Besides, was what Shane said even a threat? Had she just taken it the wrong way because she didn't like him?

Faye was unsure. After today's events, it was obvious Shane liked to get his way.

Maybe she had to ask someone. Her first thought was Carl, but before she set out to find the boy, she realised that that ruined the entire point. Carol was nice too, but she was mourning Sophia and was going to be _no _help whatsoever at this moment in time. And Faye wanted advice now, she didn't want to disappoint Rick.

Then there was Daryl. Faye _definitely _trusted him, he was the one that brought her to the group. They hadn't spoke in a while though, and she wasn't sure if he'd bother with her problem, but Faye decided she'd find him.

Stepping out the tent, however, it occurred to Faye that had no idea where the hunter was. She vaguely remembered him walking off somewhere, but couldn't recall where.

Suddenly, Lori rushed past her. Turning, the woman realised she'd knocked Faye and apologised. "Oh, sorry, I'm going a little too fast."

"Is anything wrong?"

"Don't worry, I just need to find Daryl." With that, she left.

_Bingo._

* * *

Faye had quietly followed Lori as she crossed a field to where Daryl must have been.

The girl had _no _idea why he'd be out there, but he probably had a good reason. It may not have been a good time to go - when Lori returned, she looked more frustrated than when she left - but Faye climbed over the fence anyway. No one was around, so she could go unnoticed.

Realising it would be a long walk, Faye decided to run all the way. Good exercise, it couldn't be a bad idea.

* * *

It was a _terrible _idea.

Heaving for breath, Faye let herself fall backwards onto the floor, legs stretched out as she panted.

Daryl raised his eyebrows at the girl. "What's with the runnin'?"

"I'm asking.. myself.. that now."

"Ya got tiny legs and ya sprinted across a field without stretchin'. I ain't surprised." He went back to what he was doing. "Stand up. Better 'n sitting down."

Doing as he said, Faye took a minute before realising the insult. "My legs are not tiny!"

Daryl shrugged. "You gonna tell me what ya here for?"

"Advice." She said simply, noticing Daryl was busy. Faye sat on the bricks with the man, but not too close. He didn't respond, and the girl became curious as to what he was doing with the sticks. Ones he had finished sharpening were leaning against the stones, and there was a pile of plain sticks by them. Deciding it didn't look too hard, Faye picked up one of the sticks and started to run along it with her knife. After a few minutes of attempting copy Daryl's actions, she finally spoke again.

"Why are we sharpening sticks?"

"_I'm _makin' stuff, you're jus' butchering a twig."

Faye blinked in surprise, but then looked from hers to Daryl's and grinned sheepishly. He shook his head at her before carrying on with his work. "You gonna tell me what ya want advice for?"

"Oh, yeah." Faye twiddled the mangled stick between her fingers. "Well, Rick asked me to look after Carl and I said okay. But Shane told me to stay away from Carl. I was gonna ignore him like you said, but then... _the barn _happened and I don't want to make him mad again."

Daryl raised an eyebrow. "He told ya to do that?"

"He didn't tell me, it was kinda more threatening than that. But I might've taken it wrong-"

"He threatened ya?" Daryl raised his voice a little. Maybe Daryl wasn't such a good idea. Someone calmer would be better. _Dale. _Why didn't she go to him? He would be all polite-

Oh. Daryl was still waiting for an answer. "Well, I might've taken it the wrong way 'cause I don't like him-"

"What'd he say?" The man pressed.

"Erm, 'You best be careful how you act around him, he ain't gotta be like you.'" She said.

Eyes narrowing, Daryl scraped the stick with a particularly hard stroke. "He talk to ya like that again, you go straight to me. He get mad at ya, you go to me. I'll deal with 'im." The man muttered something rude under his breath and Faye guessed it was about Shane.

"Thank you." She was given a grunt in reply. Faye looked over her stick once more before deciding it probably unsalvageable. Picking up another stick, she remembered the other use for the them. She chose three more and shortened one down to size, trying to make the cut as neat as possible.

"That ain't gonna work neither."

Faye shook her head, cutting the other end down. "Will for what I want them for."

"'n that is?"

"Crosses."

Daryl paused his work to look at her, his angry demeanour lessoning slightly. She didn't meet his gaze as she picked up the next stick and lined it up with the first. "Why?" The man could make a guess, but asked anyway.

"Dad and Andy never had a funeral. Rick said I could put these with the graves." Faye replied. The first two pieces of wood were put on the floor - she could remove the gnarly bits later - and did the same for the last two.

Daryl nodded at her answer. After watching Faye fumble with the knife a little longer, he picked up the sticks she lay on the floor and removed the bumps for her. "Ya know, my Mom used to smoke in bed, whinin' all time with Virginia Slims. Then I'm out with the kid's, Merle gone off, 'n I can't keep up with 'em. Get round corner and I see 'em all starin' at me, sirens all goin' off. There's fire trucks, too, takin' up the street. It's my house there watchin', my Mom burnt to nothin' on the bed."

Faye listened silently as he continued. "They said it was better that way, but I dunno. Not seeing her didn't make it feel real."

"I'm sorry." Faye said quietly.

He turned to her with a small smile. "Sorry 'bout yours too."

Returning the look, Faye was glad he understood losing someone.

"RV's probably got some string somewhere, run back 'n get it."

Faye looked at him, puzzled for a moment, before realising what he meant. Getting up, Faye began to walk back to the farm house.

"Said run, not walk!" Daryl called to her.

Spinning round, Faye frowned. "Why?"

"'Cause ya got tiny legs, kid, better practice runnin'." He gave a little smirk as the girl sighed in frustration, but did as he said.

"Fine!" She shouted over her shoulder.

"Ya runnin' back too!"

* * *

Carl had been amused at the sight of an exhausted Faye, who he caught running back from a trip to Daryl.

She'd ignored him when he asked what she had in her hand - which were in fact the crosses, but he didn't need to worry himself about that - and put them away in her backpack for now. She decided she'd deal with them at sunset.

So, in the meantime, Faye had a favour to do.

Faye noticed immediately how Carl was trying to occupying himself. His mother had told him to rest, but he had apparently got bored of that quickly. So, Faye improvised.

The two children had worn out the limited supply of comic books (They had read the grand total of three), so they looked for other things to do.

For a while, they went to see the horses. When they came back, they lounged in the RV, and Faye managed to get talk about life _before _the outbreak. School, mainly, was a topic that didn't bring up bad memories. Well, at least they were memories of Faye forgetting homework rather than the dead rising.

This didn't last, however, and they went outside again. They tried climbing trees, but found that tiring and Faye almost fell off when she stood on a weak branch.

Leaning against the tree trunks, they spoke of the day before. "You really went all the way with bullshit."

Carl smirked. "It got my point across, didn't it?"

"Yeah," It also got Faye told off, but she didn't mention it. "It was funny."

They talked a while longer, and when there was a pause, Faye finally asked about the barn.

"So... the barn."

"What about it?"

Faye frowned. "You know what I mean."

The boy sighed. "It was just a shell of her, right?"

"You still have to mourn Sophia," Faye looked at him. "Whether that was actually her or not."

"I am. _Have. _I don't know. I was just expecting we'd find her, and I'd bring her here and that's where we'd stay. But..."

Faye gave him time to think. "I think Dad did the right thing. Shooting her. That's what you did, isn't it?"

"...You don't think that _because _of me, do you? You can't just _say _things like that."

"No. It was still the right thing. I would've done it, it wouldn't be right to leave her like that."

Faye saw what Rick meant, Carl needed someone to keep an eye on him. Faye did her best to keep calm with her answer, though it annoyed her that he could say that so lightly. "It's just... not as easy as that. No way. You say you would, but it's different. Do you... get it?"

Reluctantly, the he nodded.

Neither of them pressed each other more, but Faye was glad she'd gotten a little from the boy. The two children sat quietly for a while as the sun lowered in the sky, almost sunset.

"How old are you?" Carl broke the silence.

"Isn't it rude to ask a woman that?" Faye said, turning to the boy with a little smirk.

"You're not a woman, you're a girl."

Scowling, Faye ripped up some grass and threw it at Carl who held his hands up in defence, laughing. Some of the grass landed in his hat, and Faye decided not to mention it.

"Twelve. But I'll be thirteen in January." The annoyed look was still on her face, but was playful.

"I'm twelve too." He replied. "How do you know when your birthday is anymore?"

"I know the date, it's the 23rd. Nut I don't really know when January is anymore. So... when the next winter's nearly gone, I'll be thirteen."

"You're lucky, my birthdays in the middle of the year."

"What about a few weeks into Summer? Season are all we're gonna have anymore." Faye finished and Carl nodded at her answer.

Then the sun set. Then Faye remembered the crosses.

Faye told herself that _she _had suggested it and shouldn't feel uneasy, but she did anyway. Telling Carl she had to go do something and she'd be back later, Faye got up and went to her tent. Instead of taking out the crosses and showing someone, Faye simply picked up the whole bag and slung it on her shoulder. As she stepped out the tent, the girl was surprised to see Daryl standing there. The look on his face was serious, but not angry.

He nodded to the bag. "You wanna go do that now? Figured I'd go with ya."

Faye replied a 'yes', and the two walked began to walk down to the graves.

They were stopped however, by Shane. "Where you two goin'?"

Seeing Faye avoid eye contact, Daryl spoke. "None of ya business."

"I think it is-"

"Well, tough, 'cause it ain't." With that, Daryl turned and strode away, Faye quickly catching up with him.

* * *

When the reached the graves, the two stopped in front of Sophia's. It wasn't for long, but Faye felt that she couldn't just walk past it.

Faye took the two crosses, bounded by string, and Daryl helped her securely place them in the ground.

The girl stood before them as she spoke. "Can I have a minute?"

She couldn't see it, but was sure Daryl gave a single nod before he replied. "I'll be over there."

"Thanks." It surprised her that Daryl was willing to do this for her, but didn't ask why. It helped knowing that _someone _was there.

Once alone, Faye found herself sitting in front of the crosses, backpack at her side.

"Hey, Dad. Hey, Andy. I just... wanted to say that... I'm okay. I found a group, but I did what you said while I was on my own! I found this guy called Daryl, he's cool. You'd like his crossbow - it's a bit scary, but really awesome too. Carl's my friend, and he wears a sheriff hat all the time. He annoyed me earlier, though, so I put grass in it. I'm hoping it'll fall all over him. Rick and Carol are nice too. I don't like Shane, but Daryl said I should ignore him 'cause he's full of it." Faye smiled as she recalled all the members of the group. No one would hear what she was saying, but carried on anyway.

"I still have the knife and gun you gave me, Andy, so don't worry. I'm safe. And I remembered everything you said, Dad, so I finally proved that I wasn't day-dreaming when you taught me all that stuff. Daryl said I can't sharpen a stick properly and I butchered it, but I'm still not sure why we were doing that in the first place. I still listened though!" The girl went on to tell him about all the running she was doing too, and she could climb trees with Carl too.

"I- I-" _I'm sorry. _"Whenever I next see a basketball net, I promise I'll be tall enough and I'll get the ball in every time just like you guys did. Well, you did miss, but I'll get better and then I'll be the better than you guys."

"I-" _I'm so sorry. _"At night, we sleep in tents, which is really cool. It's just like the camping trips we used to go on, and you'd where that stupid fishing hat and Andy would burn the food. Well, maybe not the burnt food, but Dale and Carl have the hats."

"I-"

No. Come on, Faye. Spit it out.

Hanging her head, the girl finally let out the words she'd been dying to say.

"I'm sorry._ I'm so sorry!_ I never wanted to shoot you!" The girl took some shaky breaths before she continued.

"It's my fault. Maybe if I didn't run away, I could've killed a few walkers for you! The ones that got you!" Tears rolled down her face. "And I'm sorry I'm not very strong and I'm not very fast and I'm not much help but I promise next time I will be! I'm sorry I let you turn and I'm sorry I left you there on the road!"

Faye almost jumped as a hand was placed on her shoulder. It was Daryl.

"And I promise that I'm gonna be strong now and I don't need you to worry. And- and- this is the last time I'm gonna cry over you 'cause I can't cry anymore!"

Hiding her face in her hands, Faye sobbed.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thank you for the reviews, they make my day!

There's a little scene with Rick that was suggested, sorry it's not too long though. This chapter is the longest yet! I normally try to keep it within the 2000 words range.

Next chapter will be up on Tuesday or at the absolute _latest _Wednesday, but that's just because I have a lot of homework to be doing.

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice!

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	7. Reassurance

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

"And I promise that I'm gonna be strong now and that this is the last time I'm gonna cry over you 'cause I can't cry anymore!"

Hiding her face in her hands, Faye sobbed.

* * *

Faye had left the graves once she calmed down. Daryl had walked her back to the main camp before he left again, not many words being said.

She wasn't sure if Carl had seen what happened, but he looked concerned. However, he didn't press her for more when Faye had said she was alright.

Faye _had to _be alright now. Those were the rules. There was no time for being upset anymore.

It wasn't long until they were called of dinner inside the house. Patricia sat them down at the table and Faye sat opposite Carl, so he could sit with his mother. Dale, Andrea and Shane walked in, and there was the awkward topic of Rick.

"They should be back by now." Andrea said as the three adults came into the room.

"Probably hold up somewhere." Shane replied, taking a seat. Andrea and Dale sat on either side of Faye, the older man giving her a smile. "We'll head out first thing in the morning."

There was a pause as the food was lay out on the table before Shane turned to Carl. "Carl, I want you to keep your head up, okay? Your old man, he's the toughest son of a-"

"No cussing in the house." Patricia said sternly, interrupting the man. Faye held back a smile at the annoyed look on Shane's face.

"Lori! Dinner!" Carol called from the doorway only to have Maggie say how the woman wasn't there.

Dale turned around. "Where is she?"

No one spoke.

This wasn't good. She'd been here earlier, but she looked kind of angry at Daryl.

Shane leant forward on the table. "Carl, when's the last time you saw your Mom?"

"This afternoon." Faye disliked the worried look on Carl's face.

"She was worried about Rick, asked me to look in on Carl." Andrea added.

Dale frowned. "She went after him?"

"She didn't say that."

Faye decided this was probably the time to speak up. "I saw her too!" The adults turned to her as she spoke. "She rushed past me and said she wanted to find Daryl. I did too, so I followed her. When she got back though she looked really pi-" The girl held her tongue and changed her words. "Annoyed."

"Nobody panic." Shane stood up and Carl got up after him. "Gotta be around here somewhere."

"I'll go talk to Daryl." Carol said before leaving the room too. The other adults stood up and Faye hurried after Carl.

* * *

"She's not at the barn."

"I checked the yards."

"Then where is she?" Carl said.

Carol came running up to the group. "She asked Daryl to go into town. Must've gone herself."

Carl put a hand over his mouth and Faye put a hand on his shoulder, unsure how to really comfort him. The boy turned and ran away, but Faye followed him, ignoring the call from the adults.

"Carl, wait up!" The girl said to him, but he continued walking towards the house. "Come on, don't ignore me. Your Mom's gonna be okay, she's smart! She's probably already found Rick and is on her way back."

Carl turned his head to look at her. "You don't really believe that."

Okay. Maybe she'd exaggerated, but the thought was still there! "I believe that you Mom's going to be fine!"

Just then, a car door slammed and the two children saw Shane drive off out of the farm.

"See? Shane's gonna bring her back." Whether Faye liked the man or not, Shane was protective of the Grimes family. She guessed they were the only people Shane had left from before the outbreak, so she gave him credit for wanting to keep them safe.

Carl nodded slowly.

"Exactly." Faye was glad he'd calmed down a little, she wasn't sure how much more she could have said to convince him.

"So... We just have to wait?"

"_Exactly_."

* * *

The moment the green car drove back through the fence, Carl was up and running towards the scene. Quick to follow him, Faye stood from the chair by the door of the farmhouse and jogged to meet him. When the two arrived at the group, Shane was talking.

"First things first, I gotta look after you," Lori was back. Carl grinned as he took a step forward to see his mother, but was stopped. "I gotta make sure the baby's alright, okay?"

Baby? Since when did we have a baby in the grou- oh. Lori was having a baby. Lori was _pregnant. _

"You're having a baby? Why didn't you tell me?" Carl said with a frown.

Carl didn't know. How long had Lori known? Shouldn't she want to tell her son, he would've been excited!

"I- I-" The woman didn't reply. Before the awkward silence went on for too long, Andrea and Dale took Lori into the house to check her over, and Faye finally noticed that she had been injured.

Carl stood staring at the group of adults as they walked away. Deciding this was a good time, Faye spoke. "Can I maybe suggest something?"

When Carl gave a slight nod, she continued. "Instead of focusing on the whole you-didn't-tell-me-you-were-having-a-baby thing, you could just be happy that you're gonna have a little brother or sister?"

The boy smiled at the thought and Faye gave a little smile too. "Cause, yeah, big brothers are _really_ cool. I, erm, know from experience."

Carl nodded. "You're probably right. Come on." He gestured towards the house as they both walked forward.

"I know!" She smirked. "I'm _always_ right."

* * *

When they arrived at the house, Carl sat down with Lori and they talked about the baby. Faye sat cross-legged on a chair, slightly bored. The girl's eyes wondered around the room for a while before Shane entered the room.

"Hey, dude, I'm sorry, bud. I thought you knew."

The boy's response amused Faye. Tapping his hat, the Carl replied with a grin. "Big brother Carl. Pretty cool, huh?"

Faye made a mental note to add Copy-Cat to her list of nicknames for the boy.

"I'd say that's very cool." Shane said, leaning against the door frame. "You, err, mind if I talk to your Mom a sec'?"

"How about a little later after she's had some rest." Andrea cut in. The man glared at the blonde woman for a moment before speaking anyway.

"Lori, I had to get you back here, you wouldn't have come otherwise."

Lori didn't respond. Faye didn't blame her.

After a little more coaxing from Shane, Lori gave the okay for the others to leave the room.

"So, pretty cool, huh?" Faye nudged Carl with her arm.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing, you just gave me another name to call you."

Carl gave her a confused frown. "I really have no idea what your talking about."

Apparently, her joke wasn't understood. "Never mind, dumbass is better anyway."

"Faye!" Dale stood watching the two children. "You shouldn't talk like that!"

Faye's eyes widened in surprise before immediately pointing to Carl. "He started it!"

Carl turned and frowned at the girl. "How did I start it?"

"Because you were a dumbass to begin with." Faye said, as if it was obvious. "I can't walk past a dumbass without calling them a dumbass!"

They continued to bicker as if Dale wasn't there. "Well, you're a hypocrite too!"

"So you're both a hypocrite _and _a dumbass? I didn't think your tiny brain could handle both."

"I never said I was a hypocrite!"

"Then don't say too!"

"At least _I _know what hypocrite means."

"I know what it means!"

"Not before I told you. That makes you the dumbass!"

"Hey, hey, kids, calm it, would ya?" Dale interrupted, arms folded. Faye took one look at Dale's puzzled expression before bursting out into giggles, and Carl joined in as well. The older man shook his head before turning to leave the room. "I'm going to leave you two to... whatever it is you're doing. I don't want to hear you talking like that again, it's bad language."

After a minute, the two children calmed down before Faye suddenly burst out with a single laugh. "Ha!"

"What now?"

"You've still got grass in your hat!"

* * *

Rick, Glenn and Hershel returned the next day. It was good timing, as a group was just about to go and search for them. Everyone ran up to the car as it approached, Carl hugging Rick and surprisingly, Maggie hugging Glenn.

As this was happening however, Faye noticed the blindfolded boy in the back of the car. While the others were preoccupied, Faye walked over to the window to get a closer look.

Was he asleep? He had to be.

The boy had scruffy black hair and, as she peered closer to the window, something wrong with his leg.

Who was this guy?

Faye raised her hand to tap on the window, to see if he'd wake up, but her wrist was grabbed. Looking up in surprise, she found Daryl looking the boy over from behind her. "Don't go waking 'im up."

"Who is he?"

Instead of answering her, Daryl questioned the group. "Who the hell's this?"

"Randall." Glenn replied simply.

"And why the hell's he here?"

The other moved around to the car as Rick spoke. "Let's talk about that."

* * *

Author's Note:

Hello, welcome back! The update would have been Monday, but I've been very busy with homework.

To answer a question that has popped up a couple of times - at _this _moment in time, there won't be Carl/Faye. In the future? Maybe. Eventually.

My main reasons for this are that A) They are twelve. B) They have a lot of other problems, you know, just the average dead person walking around ;) and C) I have never written romance before. Every attempt I've made had sounded rather cheesy, so I'd need to have some out-of-story practice. However, I'm not completely ruling it out for the future! :D

Anyway, your thoughts? I like hearing your suggestions!

Please review, I love to her your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	8. Decisions

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

"Who is he?"

Instead of answering her, Daryl questioned the group. "Who the hell's this?"

"Randall." Glenn replied simply.

"And why the hell's he here?"

The other moved around to the car as Rick spoke. "Let's talk about that."

* * *

Randall had become a problem. It had taken a week for him to heal and when Rick and Shane tried to send him on his way, he was brought back to the farm yet again. Apparently, he went to school with Maggie and would be able to locate the house. With his group out there, it would be too risky to just let him go.

So, for the second time, Randall was locked away.

While this had all been going on, Faye had tried to carry on as normal. Well, normal-ish. That depended on your view of normal, she supposed.

She hung around with Carl, listened to Dale reminiscing about the old days, and would visit Daryl.

Over the week, Faye slowly understood that some things were not to be questioned when it came to the hunter. Things like the ears he kept, the fact that he'd moved his camp away from the others' and what the 'SS' on his motorbike stood for. Of course, she was curious at first, but the matter was dropped once he gave her a 'look'.

She still ran all the way to see him _and_ all the way back, just like he told her to. It was tiresome in the beginning, but then she started to see if she could go faster each time.

However, this particular morning, Daryl was not there. This had happened a couple of times before when Daryl left to hunt, but most of his gear was still at the camp. He had to be back at the farm.

On the run back, she saw a figure moving to where Randall was being kept.

Daryl.

What did he want with Randall? Changing direction, Faye ran towards the man. He must have heard her from behind him as he turned towards the girl. "What ya doin' over here?"

Faye panted a little before replying. "You weren't at your camp!"

"I ain't always there."

"I know, but you weren't hunting either." She shrugged before continuing. "Why are you going to see Randall?"

"I'm, err," Daryl paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Gonna have a chat with 'im."

Faye frowned.

Nope, that didn't sound right. "Can I ask another question?"

"Make it quick."

"What are you _really_ going to do with Randall?" Daryl raised an eyebrow. "I'm not stupid. We're not supposed to go near him, but you want to have a chat?"

Daryl gave an irritated sigh before replying. "I'm gonna make 'im answer some questions. Dunno if he's gonna be dangerous or not, and I ain't leaving it t' chance."

Faye avoided eye contact for a moment before looking him in the face. "Make him?"

"Make him." Daryl said firmly. The girl nodded slowly, processing the information. "Now, you go back t' camp, shouldn't be round here." The man glanced behind him to the large shed he was walking to.

"Okay." Daryl put a hand on her shoulder and turned her round, giving Faye a little push in the direction of the house. She scowled childishly, but walked away regardless. Had the circumstances been different, Faye might have insisted on going with Daryl.

As it was, though, she didn't want to. If Daryl thought this was the right thing to do, then she would trust his judgement. However, she didn't want to see it herself. She wasn't sure how far Daryl would go.

But if it had to be done, it had to be done. The boy could be a danger to the group and they _had _to find out.

By any means necessary.

* * *

"We'll know soon enough." Rick said as the group questioned him about the plan with Randall, Shane by his side.

Faye had done what Daryl said and headed back to the camp. It had been a while since then, however, and Daryl was re-approaching the group. "Boy there's got a gang - thirty men. They've got heavy artillery and they ain't lookin' to make friends."

Faye didn't fail to notice the blood stains on Daryl's hands. So he _made_ Randall talk. "They roll through here, our boys are dead. Our women, they're gonna wish they were."

Huh? What was that supposed to mean?

"What did you do?" Carol said.

"Had a little chat." With that, Daryl walked off.

Faye knew there was more than chatting. When she tried to look at Daryl as he passed her, but he either didn't notice or ignore her.

Rick put his hands on his hips. "No one goes near this guy."

Why would she want to? He was a bad person and he was a dangerous person. He shouldn't be here in the first place, Faye thought.

Lori walked up to Rick and spoke to him quietly. As the cop replied, he spoke to the group. "We have no choice. He's a threat. We have to eliminate the threat."

Faye shifted awkwardly, but knew the man was right. Randall could bring his group here if they let him go, and that couldn't happen. People would die if that happened. The men would die and the women-?

Faye didn't know what Daryl meant when he said that. Was it because they'd miss the men? Either way, the group would be destroyed.

But, that was the way life was now, right? They had to do whatever it takes to live. Faye didn't like it, but... tried to accept it.

"You're just gonna kill him?" Dale asked, frowning.

"It's settled." Rick said firmly. "We'll do it today."

Dale followed after Rick when the younger man left, and the remaining group were left in silence.

"What did Daryl mean?" Faye asked and everyone's eyes landed on her. She didn't like that. "What do they do to girls?"

The adults exchanged looks awkwardly before Carol stepped forward and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Don't worry about that. All that matters is that it isn't going to happen to you."

Looking up, Faye saw a sad smile on Carol's face, the look in her eyes unintelligible for Faye to read.

She was unsatisfied with the answer, but the looks on the _others'_ faces told her not to pry.

From that point, the group left to do other jobs, even Carl went to 'check something out'. She would have bothered her friend about it more, but he didn't question it when she left to go see Daryl. Maybe the boy just wanted to see his Dad?

Because of this, Faye was left without much to do. She would go see Daryl, but he didn't seem approachable when he left.

So, she went to her usual spot up a tree, round the back of the house. The view wasn't as good, but it was peaceful and not too many people came by.

"I see the robin has returned to her nest."

Except Dale.

"That's a really bad joke."

"Sorry." Dale smiled. "Couldn't help myself."

Faye returned the look. "What's up?"

"Well, I think it's about time we have another one of our chats." He replied calmly. "Why don't you come down here so I don't have to stretch to look at you."

"I thought we go on the RV for to talk?" Faye asked.

Dale shook his head. "Let's keep this a little more private, shall we?"

The girl shrugged before dropping to the ground. Motioning to the tree trunk, the two sat down. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I'd like to talk about Randall."

Oh.

What was the point? Rick was going to kill him anyway. "What's there to talk about?"

"I just want to hear your perspective." Dale said. "What do you think we should do?"

Faye nodded, as if reassuring herself. "We should do what we have to to keep the group safe."

Dale frowned. "And what is it we have to do?"

"Wait, is this a test?" Faye didn't like tests. She never did all that well in exams at school. Dad always said she was smart, but not book-smart. Faye wasn't sure what he meant, but took it as a compliment.

"No. I just wanna hear what you think is right." He spoke slowly, picking hs words carefully.

Faye was sceptical, but continued to talk anyway. "We didn't know anything about him. Daryl did what he had to do and now we know he's dangerous. We can't just let him go, then he'll get his group and they'll kill the boys and do who-knows-what to the girls - no one will tell me anything. So, we do what we have to do again. We have to... we _have_ to kill him. He's a threat and we have to eliminate the threat."

Dale was silent and the girl was sure he was staring at her, but avoided looking over. "_That's _the right thing to do?"

"Depends what you think's right anymore." Faye said quietly. "Before the walkers: No. But now? I think the right thing is what keeps _us_ safe. That's what the old group would do. Michael wouldn't even bring him back."

The man sighed a little. "And that's in the past."

"So is the law and prison and all that stuff, but you still fight for it." Faye countered. She wasn't sure why she was fighting against Dale, she didn't _really _want the boy to die. Everyone else disagreed and thought it was for the best though.

"Do you know what Daryl did to that boy?"

Yes. But she didn't want to think about that. It was hard enough as it was, admitting the truth of this world, without saying someone you trusted could hurt somebody like that.

"I have an... _idea_ of what he did."

Dale waved his hand in front of him. "And you think that was right?"

Faye gulped. She wanted to think what Daryl did was right, that it didn't make him bad. "Necessary."

"And your convinced this the way? To kill a young man?"

Faye didn't want to think about all this, she just wanted to get the Randall problem over and done with.

She was failing the test, badly. "I don't _want_ it to be the way. But, it just, you know-"

Dale raised a hand to stop her. "It's okay, I'm sorry, this is making you uncomfortable. I think we'll end it there." The old man stood up.

Faye was relieved. She didn't like talking about any of this. "Did I get it wrong?"

He sighed. "No. I asked for your opinion, you gave it."

"Okay." Standing up with him, they walked back to camp. Faye tried to change the topic. "Is Carl back yet? Haven't seen him much today."

"I'm not sure, why don't you go look instead of hiding in a tree, birdy." The old man ruffled her dark hair.

Faye was torn on whether to be glad he was in a good mood or annoyed at the nickname. She went with the latter. "Quit it with the bird jokes!"

Carol walked towards the two as Faye complained. "What are you pouting about?"

"I'm not pouting!" Faye crossed her arms and pouted. "Dale keeps giving me nicknames!"

"Aw, I thought Birdy was cute?" The man chuckled.

"My last name is Robbins and you call me Birdy. It's cheesy and unoriginal!"

Carol patted her head. "You don't get to choose your nickname, it just happens. I think Birdy is _very_ cute." The tone of Carol's voice was playful and Faye was glad she wasn't still upset about Sophia. To tell the truth, she'd had been avoiding Carol a little, thinking the woman might revert to the you're-not-Sophia thing. Apparently, this wasn't the case. "Come on, why don't we go find Carl?"

Faye brightened out of her mood. Agreeing, she said goodbye to Dale who left to see Daryl. It didn't take long for the girls to find Carl.

She ran up to him, calling to the boy as she did. "Carl! Dale and Carol are callng me Birdy! Be a proper sherriff and stop them!"

The boy turned his head and gave a weak smile. The grin fell off Faye's face as she realised they were at the graves, Carl knelt by Sophia's. She stared at the two small wooden crosses by the large graves, she hadn't returned since they were put in the ground.

"You know, we'll see Sophia again in heaven someday." A hand was placed on Faye's head lightly. Faye guessed it was Carol trying to comfort her. "You'll see your family too. Their all in a better place."

Faye nodded, not speaking. Words weren't needed anymore.

"No, she's not! None of them are!"

Faye blinked in surprise as Carl stood up, staring at him in shock. "Heaven is just another lie! And if you believe it, you're an idiot."

What? What happened to everything he said before? "I thought-"

"I changed my mind." The boy's scowl didn't lessen as he walked away, leaving Faye staring after him in surprise. Where had that come from? He was fine this morning! She thought he believed the people had moved on- that _her _family too- what?

Faye was beyond confused.

Coming out of her daze, she realised Carol had stormed over to Lori and Rick. "You need to control that boy!"

"Carl? What happened?" Rick replied, making his way to Carol.

"Disrespectful."

"He say something?" Rick frowned.

"He said something cruel about Sophia, Faye's family too." The man turned to look at Faye, who was still stood on the same spot, not looking at them.

"We'll figure it out, it's okay-" Lori was cut off by Carol.

"It's not okay!"

"I'll have a talk with him."

Faye heard Rick approach her, Carol still talking in the background. "You alright?"

Nodding slowly, Faye stayed silent.

Knowing he probably wouldn't get much else from the girl, Rick walked away.

* * *

"Hey, Faye," She heard Carl behind her. "Can I say something?"

Faye nodded.

"I'm sorry I said that stuff."

The girl turned towards him, looking at his face. "No, you're not. You have the same look my brother did when he put a giant spider on my pillow, like you were forced to apologise." She turned back around, tone not conveying much. "You're way more moody, though."

Carl ignored the comment and sat next to the girl. Faye didn't look at him. "What happened to make you go nuts on Carol?" _And me._

"I went to see Randall and Shane shouted at me."

"You did what?"

"I just wanted to talk to him."

"Yeah, you _just_ wanted to the dangerous guy who could get us all killed. That was stupid, you didn't think."

Carl sighed. "That's what Dad said."

"You're Dad's right." The girl snapped.

There was a pause before Carl spoke again. "...I _am _sorry I was mean."

"Well, you were. I don't even know if I believe in Heaven, but it was easier when I thought you believed it too. But you went and stomped that all out, didn't you?"

"I was just mad." Carl shrugged. "What, it's not like I said they were in Hell. I just don't think there's a better place either. They're just... Gone."

"I think that's sad."

"I think that's the truth."

"Whatever. Not like it matters anymore." Faye held her head up with her hand. "We've got bigger problems to be worried about."

"So... You're not mad?"

Faye raised an eyebrow at him. She wasn't _that _mad in the first place, just confused, annoyed and generally too stubborn to talk to him. But, hey, he didn't have to know that. "Never said that."

He frowned. "Come on, what do I have to do? I said sorry!"

"You call someone's belief's stupid and think sorry is enough?"

"... Yes?"

Faye exaggerated a scowl and almost laughed at Carl's expression. "Faye! Please!"

"I'm kidding, you big baby." Faye stuck her tongue out and nudged Carl with her shoulder. "Go say sorry to Carol."

"Already have."

Faye feigned a hurt expression. "Oh, so you chose her over me?"

"No-!"

Faye snorted. "We need to work on your gullible-ness."

"Gullibility."

"Shut up."

The tone now light, the two children's conversation went on a little longer before they both separated to do different things. Faye went to find Carol, surprisingly to help with chores as she was tired of sitting around.

Carl, however, went into the woods.

* * *

Author's Note:

Hello! Thank you for all the lovely reviews, they make my day every time! I've taken note of any suggestions.

So, we see how everything around Faye effects her. Carl acts out, Faye tries to ignore it.

Anyway, so I saved this chapter for the ninth! MID-SEASON PREMIERE! HELL YEAH!

...

Except, I'm in the UK so, I can't watch it yet. It premieres over here tomorrow, but I don't have the right channel on TV, so knows when I'm going to see it...

You lucky Americans! XD No spoilers please, I beg of you!

Anyway, the next update will be on Wednesday and on the latest Thursday because I am ill and don't want whatever I post to be complete jibberish.

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	9. Influence

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

The tone now light, the two children's conversation went on a little longer before they both separated to do different things. Faye went to find Carol, surprisingly to help with chores as she was tired of sitting around.

Carl, however, went into the woods.

* * *

By the time Faye realised where Carl had gone, it was too late to stop him.

She was in the middle of folding some clothes with Carol when she saw the disappearing figure of the boy, it was too short to be anyone else.

He was heading towards Daryl's camp, and as far as Faye knew, Daryl had left to go hunting again. Besides, why would Carl want to see Daryl? Something was wrong.

Quickly making an excuse up to Carol, Faye debated on running to get her gun from the backpack. After gun training, Faye had refused to hand over her gun to Rick, but agreed to a compromise of keeping it in her bag instead of on her person.

Thinking about it with a nod, Faye went to her tent and slung the rucksack over her shoulders before hurrying to the fence. She clambered over to the field clumsily before taking the usual sprint over to Daryl's camp, not without checking to see if anyone was watching her.

Panting heavily, Faye looked around the empty camp.

Where the hell was he? He had to be here! If this was some kid of practical joke, Faye did _not _find it funny.

"Carl!" She called out, but wasn't too loud. She couldn't forget that she was on the edge of the forest. "Carl?"

There was no reply. However, Faye was sure she could hear scuffling from beyond the treeline. He couldn't be that stupid, could he? What would make him go to the forest?

If he had though, she wasn't about to leave him there alone. Faye walked towards the forest as she brought the bag off her shoulders and unzipped it. Like hell was she going to do this without her gun.

Stepping into the trees, Faye held the pistol at her side and flicked off the safety with a click. "Carl? You out here?" She called softly, not wanting to draw more attention to herself than she had to.

Then, she heard the rustle of sticks and uneven, heavy footsteps. If she was going to get jumped by a walker over Carl, she was going to kill that boy. "Carl!"

Suddenly, a figure came crashing through the trees and Faye swung round and pointed the gun in what turned out to be _Carl's_ face. "Woah, Faye! Come on, we need to go!"

Faye blinked at him for a second and lowered the gun. When she didn't move, the boy grabbed her hand and dragged her back through the trees as fast as his still injured self could take him. Finding her feet again, Faye pulled her hand away and ran next to him. "What the hell's wrong with you, Carl? I could've shot you!"

"Let's just get out of here!"

Faye's eyes widened. "Are we being chased?"

"No," Carl shook his head. "I don't think so. It's stuck in the mud, but I think I made it really mad!"

The two children burst back into Daryl's camp, Carl looking behind them to make sure they weren't followed. The gun was still in Faye's hand. "You can put that away, now. Let's just go ba-"

"Let's just go back?! No, why don't you tell me why you thought this was a good idea? You could've died!"

The boy frowned. "But I didn't!"

"You got have got eaten, you could've got bit, _I could've shot you!_" Faye hissed at him as she put the gun back in her bag. "Why were you out there?"

Carl looked at the ground guiltily. "I wanted to see if I could kill a walker."

"With what, you're knife?"

He shook his head. "I took Daryl's gun."

Faye stared at him in disbelief. Then, she turned and stormed away, back to the farm.

"Please, I'm sorry!" Carl called after her, jogging to catch up.

"No wonder your parents think you're immature, do you know how stupid you've been today?!"

"I-"

Faye turned her head round to look at him and glared. "You go to see Randall, you snap at me and Carol, you _steal_ a gun and wander off and try to kill a walker! I can't believe you, you just can't listen to anything anyone tells you! What happened to thinking things through?"

"I was thinking that I have no experience killing walkers."

Faye turned back around and continued to walk at a faster pace. "You're an idiot."

Carl complained a little more as they walked back to the house, but he was ignored. Faye was_ so _mad at him. Carl just couldn't see how stupid he'd been and she decided she wasn't going to talk to him until he did.

When they finally arrived back at the house, the adults were gathering for the meeting over Randall. "Come on, Carl. I want you to stay with Jimmy." Lori was stood waiting for them and seemingly didn't noticed Carl's mud covered trousers. "You too, Faye."

The girl simply nodded, not bothering to protest. She knew when she wasn't going to win. Carl had other ideas. "But, I wanna listen!"

Lori shook her head. "Not this time."

As she headed up the stairs, she knew Carl wasn't following her immediately, probably hoping his parents would change their minds. She was already at the top of the stairs when he begrudgingly came up. No words were spoken as they walked in the door.

Apparently, Carl could play the silent-treatment game too.

* * *

Jimmy clearly had no idea what to do with two moody twelve year-olds. A board game had been set up, but they'd barely got through a few rounds before both children became silent, refusing to look at each other. The older teen sat awkwardly scratching his chin, unsure how to diffuse the tension. Eventually, Faye decided there were better uses of her time.

Standing up, she moved towards the door.

"Hey, wait, where are you going? Lori said I should keep you two-"

Her excuse was poor, but Jimmy believed it. "I'm just off to the toilet, you don't need to watch my every move."

"Oh. Err, okay."

Glancing a look at Carl before she left, she found he was still avoiding eye contact. With a heavy step to hopefully show her annoyance, Faye left the room but did not slam the door.

After all, if she was going to eavesdrop, she didn't want to be caught _right_ off the bat.

Faye crouched down by the top of the stairs, hoping it would be close enough to hear the conversation. At first, she thought it was Daryl speaking, but then a loud voice shouted. It was unmistakably Dale's.

"This is a young man's life! And it is worth more than a five minute conversation. Is this what it's come to - we kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with 'em? You saved him!" Faye guessed he was talking to Rick. "But now look at us. He's been tortured, he's gonna be executed. How are we any better than those people we're so afraid of?"

There was a pause. Faye leant her head against the wall and looked downwards sadly.

"We all know what needs to be done." Of course, it was Shane.

"No, Dale is right," Rick spoke up. "We can't leave any stone unturned."

Andrea interrupted him. "So what's the solution? We haven't come up with a single viable option yet. I wish we could-"

"So let's work on it!" Dale shouted again.

"Stop it!" Faye was surprised to hear Carol talk. "Just stop it! I'm sick of everybody arguing and fighting. I didn't ask for this, you can't ask us to decide something like this. Please decide, either of you, both of you, but leave me out."

Faye understood Carol's point. Who would want to choose whether a boy lives or dies?

"Not speaking out or killing him yourself - there's no difference." Dale continued but was stopped by Rick.

"Alright, that's enough. If anybody wants the floor before we make the final decision has the chance."

Faye knew no one would speak up anymore.

No one did.

"What about the kids?" Oh. Faye didn't like where this was going. "Think of the impression we're leaving on them! You know what Faye told me when I asked her about this mess?"

Oh no. She was going to be in _so _much trouble.

"You brought the children into this?" Lori asked, obviously not approving.

Dale continued anyway. "I asked Faye what she thought we should do. You want to know what she told me? She repeated _your _words, Rick. 'He's a threat, and we have to eliminate the threat'. Word for word. "

She'd actually said that? Faye had tried to push their conversation from her mind.

"She said that what _you _did was right. Whether you like it or not, Daryl, you're influencing that kid. We all are, on both of them. We've pushed it into a _child's_ head that killing this boy is right."

This was bad, now she was getting Daryl in trouble.

"Faye told me killing the boy is what her old group would do, and they were lead by someone _not in their right mind_. Is that what _we've _come to? What kind of a world is it where our children are brought up thinking _killing _someone is okay? It's an ugly world, it's harsh, it's survival of the fittest! That's a world I don't want to live in and I don't believe any of you do. I can't!"

Faye was stunned by Dale's words.

"Please." He was begging now. "Let's just do what's right! Isn't anyone going to stand with me?"

Dale was _so _ right, Faye knew, but no one would. They should, but they wouldn't. That was just-

"He's right. We should try to find another way."

Andrea. It was _Andrea_.

"Anybody else?"

Faye gave a little hopeful smile. Now maybe, what, Glenn? He'd stand up with Dale, right?

There was an agonizing pause.

The silence said that no one would speak. Oh no, no one was speaking. He was going to die anyway.

"Are ya'll gonna watch too? Nah, you'll just hide your heads in your tents and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being. Oh, I won't be a party to it."

The were footsteps before one final sentence was spoken.

"This group is broken."

Broken. Dysfunctional. Collapsed.

It didn't matter what word you used.

This group was it.

* * *

Faye acted like she'd never heard anything when she went back to the room. Jimmy didn't question what had taken her so long.

When the adults finally let them downstairs, Carl was dying to know what happened. Faye didn't want to hear their excuse so told them she felt sick sand went back to the tent.

The fact that she did actually made her feel ill as she remembered Dale's words about hiding in their tents.

Carol had come to make sure she was alright, but Faye pretended to be asleep. She didn't want to talk about it. There was a difference between assuming the execution and knowing it was going to happen.

Then it got late, and the three men left to collect Randall and take him to the barn. Dale really had been right, everyone hid in their tents or at least avoided even looking in the barns direction.

Faye waited. And waited some more.

But there was no gun shot.

After a while Carol came in to see the girl, a light smile on her face. "Faye, you up?"

Sighing a little, Faye hummed a reply. "Mhmm?"

"Randall is being held in custody. He's not going to die."

Wait, what?

Faye sat up and gave the woman a confused look. "Why?"

Carol shook her head before speaking in a soft tone, Faye could tell she was choosing her words carefully. "Because Rick decided it was wrong. We're probably going to choose another solution, but he'll live."

"But-"

"Faye, executing him was the wrong decision, killing someone isn't right. I'm sorry, we should have figured this out sooner."

Faye couldn't tell if Carol was just saying this because of what Dale had said about her or if she genuinely didn't want to kill Randall. At the meeting, she didn't want anything to do with decision. "Alright." The girl replied slowly. Faye was unsure about this. What happened to Randall definitely dying?

Carol smiled warmly and tried to lighten the mood. "I think it's about time we get some normalcy back in our lives, hm, Birdy?"

Faye frowned. "Is the nickname really necessary? Like, seriously, it's just, why?"

Carol sat by her and patted her head. "Because it's adorable. I like giving people nicknames."

"I'm the only person you've given a nickname." The girl pouted.

"Maybe you've started me off?"

"People are gonna hate me for starting-"

Their conversation was stopped by a scream. Both women stood and hurried out the tent as Rick shouted for T-Dog to get a shotgun. "Faye, sweetheart, stay here. We don't know what's going on."

The adults all ran down to the field while Faye and Carl were left standing alone. Despite their current argument, the two children shared a determined look before sprinting down to the adults.

She heard the crying first. Then there was Rick's shout of anger. Finally, as they stopped the run, Faye heard the gurgled moans of pain from Dale.

Dale - who wore the funny fishing hat.

Dale - who had stood up for a stranger's life.

Dale - who was lying on the floor bleeding with his stomach ripped open.

Andrea was kneeling by the old man's side, Carl was crying into his mother's lap, Daryl was pointing the gun at the dying man's head.

Faye simply stood watching, numb to what was going on around her. There were no tears as she stared at the shaking figure on the ground. People around her were breaking down while she stood watching the scene in silence.

This was all _wrong. _Dale shouldn't have to die! He's the good guy in all this, he's just, he's just-

"Sorry, brother."

A shot rang out.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Hey! Nearly at ten chapters! Thank you to the reviewers, I always love reading your comments.

So, I'm an idiot. I was so worried I wouldn't be able to see the brand new episode of the Walking Dead for ages, and then I see it online the day after it airs. I'm stupid.

Aside from that, I loved After! It was very enjoyable and had plenty of Michonne, who's pretty damn cool, and Carl, who is obviously one of my favourite characters in the whole show.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope to see you soon for Chapter 10.

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	10. Girl Power!

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

Faye simply stood watching, numb to what was going on around her. There were no tears as she stared at the shaking figure on the ground. People around her were breaking down while she stood watching the scene in silence.

This was all _wrong. _Dale shouldn't have to die! He's the good guy in all this, he's just, he's just-

"Sorry, brother."

A shot rang out.

* * *

The nightmares returned that night.

Not that they had ever left in the first place. It was like Dale's death had just poured more fuel onto the fire.

Despite all this, the ending never changed. She would die, it didn't matter how. Her neck would be snapped in a fall, she'd be eaten alive, a bullet would puncture her chest. Then she came back. Every time.

The funeral had been held in the morning, Rick saying how they were going to do things 'Dale's Way' now. Faye wasn't sure how she felt about that. Killing Randall was the smart thing to do, but wasn't the right thing. It was hard to find a balance nowadays.

Faye wasn't completely sure on the details, but as far as she knew, Rick and _Daryl _were going to take Randall out further and leave him with a few supplies. The girl disliked this for several reasons. Although it was probably good that Shane wasn't going on the trip, it was bad that the rest of the group had to deal with him.

(It also didn't help that Faye simply did not like Shane. He was scary when he was angry and she got a strong feeling that she wasn't his favourite person as well.)

However, Daryl was going out there, and the other three were barely able to come back the last time they left the farm. Not that she doubted his capabilities - no, Faye still thought he and the crossbow were a bad-ass duo - but she also didn't doubt a herd of walkers abilities.

Either way, though, she couldn't stop him. Why would Daryl listen to a kid, anyway? As grown up as she thought she was, Faye could tell her argument wouldn't have much sway.

They hadn't left yet, Rick and Hershel were arranging for the group to move into the house.

When Carol had woken the girl up in the morning, Faye was told to pack up her things and help take down the tent. She didn't have much work to do, most of her remaining possessions could fit into her backpack. She had a few other things, mainly some clothes given to her by Carol, but they were easy to carry to the house.

Currently, Faye was helping T-Dog and Lori shift boxes into the house. In a surprisingly good mood, Faye jogged around the man, who shook his head at her, and hopped down the front stairs two at a time. The girl grinned at him as they both went to pick up a box from the truck, Hershel and Lori stood by the vehicle.

"Nice job, you beat me, what's the prize?"

Hershel turned around and smiled at her. "I think your prize can be sleeping on the couch, that sound alright?"

Wait, there really was a prize? Awesome! She hadn't even started a race, Faye just wanted to overtake him. "Really?"

"Wait, if there was an actual prize, I might'a tried harder!" T-Dog complained.

Hershel seemed to ignore the other man's comment. "It's our home now, and I wouldn't be happy if a child slept on the floor while I was cushioned."

Faye didn't want to say no, the floor was unappealing to say the least, but Dad said if someone was giving you something, you had to be polite. "Are you sure?" When she received a nod, the grin returned. "Thank you!"

He smiled again. "Your very welcome."

The older man walked back up to the house and reached into the truck to pull out a basket. Inside it was a baseball bat and a few other items. Once again, she ran up the steps and over took T-Dog. "Couch is mine!" She called as she opened the door.

"It's gonna get real cosy, real fast in here."

* * *

Faye was outside picking up the last few items left in the truck when Daryl finally arrived.

"Hey, Daryl, come on!" She walked forward to meet him. "You've gotta come inside and pick a spot. All the good ones are nearly taken and _I _got the couch!" Faye gave a triumphant smirk at her small victory.

Daryl shook his head. "Nah, kid, am stayin' at my own camp. Less crowded than with all a ya. Gotta see Rick."

Faye's face fell. He was still going to stay out there? The whole point of moving into the house was that the whole group was safe and _together. _If anything happened out there, they wouldn't be able to help!

Apparently, Daryl noticed the girl's disheartened expression. Rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, he quickly thought of something else to add. "'Sides, if I move in 'ere, I can't make ya run everyday."

Faye gave a little smile at that. "I'm getting faster, aren't I?"

"Keep practicin'" When the two reached the top of the stairs, the man gave her a little push in the direction of the house.

* * *

Faye and Carl were still ignoring each other.

But, Faye had to admit, chores were more boring when you were doing them by yourself. Although, she supposed, the same could be said for any task.

She wouldn't admit it, but being alone scared her. It wasn't as if she was afraid now, she knew other people were present in the house. It was the times when she was truly alone that bothered her. Those few days she had spent by herself had been terrifying. Faye had been taught things about survival, but putting them into practice was a whole different matter. Not to mention that she had had no sense of direction back then; Without a map, she'd just been wandering around. It was a miracle that she'd stumbled across Daryl in the first place.

Faye stopped her train of thought with a vigorous shake of her head. There was no time to be thinking of the past. She _had _found Daryl and that was what mattered.

Thinking of Daryl, he'd probably be leaving soon. Faye paused what she was doing to sit on the sofa. She made a mental note to put a sheet on the couch. A smug expression crossed her face as she thought. _Her _couch, now. It was the little things like this that amused her, just like when she really did hear the horse in the forest.

She would be silently smug about it.

Except maybe to T-Dog. After all, she did beat him in the not-a-race. Winning was not something she forgot.

Faye stood up and got back to work when she heard footsteps coming from behind her. They stopped and Faye waited for something to be said, maybe Carol had _another _job for her to help with. However, when the silence persisted, the girl turned to see who it was.

Faye was surprised to see Carl stood at the doorway, a determined look on his face. "Can I talk to you?"

Well, at least it was a change from whiney Carl. "'Kay."

The boy turned and walked out the room and Faye took that as her que to follow him. When he stopped, they were outside, away from the adults. Faye couldn't help but notice the bump that must've been a gun at Carl's side. Not starting the conversation, Faye crossed her arms and waited for him to speak.

"So," Carl began. "The walker that killed Dale was the one I left in the forest."

Faye blinked at his bluntness.

The girl stared at him for a minute, confused, not realising he was expecting an immediate answer. "I get it, you hate me, you think its my-"

"What? No! You just... surprised me. Leading up to that might'a helped. Instead of, you know, just, like, saying it." She said awkwardly, scratching the back of her head.

"So, you don't blame me?" Carl looked slightly confused himself. "You're not mad?"

Faye thought for a moment more before replying. She would miss Dale, he was nice. But it was as if death didn't have the same impact anymore. "No. People die, that's just the way it is now. Mad? Yeah. You were still an idiot."

Carl's voice was firm when he continued. He sounded like he meant it. "I'm sorry. It was immature. It can't be like that anymore. No more kid stuff, right?"

"Alright." Faye nodded. She didn't particularly want to apologise to the boy, it went against her stubborn nature, but since he said it first... "I'm sorry I yelled at you. It was mean."

"It's okay."

The two stared at each other for a minute, before a grin broke out on Faye's face. "That means I win! I'm on a streak today, this is great."

"What? How did you win?"

Faye crossed her arms and smirked smugly. "You said it first. I win!"

Carl frowned childishly at her. "Whatever."

"You know you care!" When she got no reply, Faye questioned the gun. "So, what, you're allowed to keep a gun now?"

"I think so. Dad made me take it." They began to walk back to the house. "People are gonna die and we've gotta stay one step ahead."

"Does that mean I can keep mine?" When the boy replied with 'probably', she continued. "Good. I don't know why I didn't keep it anyway. Rick's your dad, not mine. _My _Dad let me keep it, should've kept it on me."

Carl seemed uncomfortable when he spoke again. "What about what Dale said, 'Can't teach one and not the other'? It wouldn't be fair if you got one and I didn't."

She shrugged. "Guess so."

When they got back inside, Carl went off on his own again.

(Not without Faye threatening playfully that if he did anything else stupid, she'd push him down the stairs.)

Walking into the living room, Faye found Andrea unloading something she must've brought from the RV. "I thought you two kids were having a little argument?"

"We were." Faye went to the couch and picked up her backpack. "But he said sorry first."

The blonde woman gave her a smirk. "Good. Show him who's boss. Never apologise first for something he did."

"Huh?" Faye frowned. "Like girl power?"

Andrea grinned. "Exactly. Girls know best."

"Okay." Faye still looked slightly confused.

"What, your Mom never teach you that?"

The girl shook her head, brushing the side fringe back behind her ear afterwards. "No. Never had a Mom. It's just my Dad and brother. It _was _just my Dad and brother." She corrected herself.

The older woman gave her a sad look for a moment, but must've decided against saying 'sorry'. It was a good change, Faye didn't want people to pity her anymore. Getting over it was more important. A confident expression returned to Andrea's face.

"Well, I'm going to teach you something that you should've been taught a long time are just as good as men, and they sometimes forget it. Never give a man a woman's job and you shouldn't let them push you around. But the most important thing is that women are always right!"

The grin on Andrea's face was contagious. "Really?"

"Really." The blonde seemed to be enjoying herself when T-Dog walked in with a few bed sheets.

"Need any a these?"

"I do!" Faye put the bag back down and took one from the man. "For _my _couch!"

T-Dog shook his head. "You won that by cheating."

"I won fair and square! Girl's are better than boys, I would've beaten you anyway!" Faye's smile widened as she got an approving look from Andrea.

The woman nodded as she spoke. "Fast learner, I like it."

* * *

Faye hopped down the stairs to say bye to Daryl, still in a good mood.

T-Dog was walking away as she approached. "I'll go get the package."

"Thanks." Rick replied.

Walking over, Faye leaned against the blue truck. "You're going now?"

It was Rick who replied. "The sooner we get Randall out of here, the better."

"Alright." The girl nodded. "It won't take as long as before, will it?"

"We don't plan on it." The man said.

Daryl was stood by the door. "You carrying that 'round now?"

His eyes were on her hip, where the gun was. Faye couldn't tell from his voice whether he was angry about it or not. "Well, Carl has one now, so I figured I could have mine with me?"

Apparently, he wasn't annoyed, and simply nodded in approval. Rick didn't comment.

The girl was about to excuse herself to get Carl for his Dad, when there was a shout from T-Dog.

"Guys! Randall's gone!"

* * *

Everyone gathered around the shed where Randall was _supposed _to be. Only, he wasn't there. He was running somewhere, hiding somewhere, but whatever it was, it wasn't here.

"Cuffs are still hooked, he must've slipped 'em." Rick said, looking at the shed.

"Is that possible?" Carol asked.

Andrea joined them outside. "It is if you've got nothing to lose."

"Door was secured from the outside." Hershel added, shutting and re-opening the door.

The adults continued to discuss what could've happened until there was an angry shout. "Rick! Rick!"

It was Shane, storming towards the group with blood covering his face. Lori called to him. "What happened?"

"He's armed! He's got my gun!"

How the hell did that happen?

"Are you okay?" It was Carl next.

"I'm fine. Little bastard just snuck up on me, clocked me in the face!"

Clocked him in the face? That couldn't be right, could it? Randall had had barely anything to eat and Shane was big and strong - partly one of the reasons the man _kind of _scared her. She didn't like admitting that he was scary anymore, even if it was just to herself.

"Alright, Hershel, T-Dog, get everyone back in the house. Glenn, Daryl, come with us." Rick turned away and Faye looked to Daryl while Carol was pleading with Rick.

He loaded an arrow into the crossbow. When he saw the girl looking at him, he waved her away. "Go on, stick with the others. I'll be fine, back in no time."

Deciding she just had to trust him, Faye ran back to the farmhouse with the rest of the group.

* * *

Faye wasn't sure what to do with herself once they stayed inside. Hershel and Maggie were putting the sheet over the couch again as she'd done a terrible job of it.

She had stayed with Carl for a while, sharing his worry, but he spent most of his time watching the treeline through the window, binoculars at the ready. This just made her worry more. So eventually, she stayed and sat with the rest of the adults.

Andrea stood up. "I'm going after them."

Yes. Please go after them, then Faye wouldn't have to bite her nails thinking about what could go wrong.

"Don't. They could be anywhere. If Randall comes back, we're gonna need you."

Oh. Never mind. Forget that plan, then.

Suddenly, the door opened and Daryl and Glenn walked in.

Faye sighed quietly. They were back, they were okay. "Rick and Shane ain't back?"

"No."

"We heard a shot." Daryl said.

"Maybe they found Randall?"

Daryl dismissed the idea. "_We _found him."

"Is he back in the shed?"

"He's a walker."

Woah. That was... unexpected.

"Did you find the walker that bit him?" Hershel asked.

Glenn replied to the old man. "The weird thing is, he wasn't bit."

Wait, what's weird about that?

"His neck was broke."

See, _that's_ the weird thing, who broke his neck? Not that he was a walker, that was just what happened. Maybe that's what Glenn meant. Surely!

They had to know, didn't they? They knew to aim for the head, that was how you killed a walker, they had to know!

She really hoped they knew, Faye didn't want to be the one to tell them.

Daryl continued to talk until Lori spoke to him about finding Rick and Shane.

"You got it." He replied, and was about to walk off when Faye finally spoke up.

"Wait, wait, just stop a minute."

Lori frowned when she looked at the girl. "What's wrong?"

"I just need to check that you know."

Daryl turned back to look at her. "Know what?"

"That, you know, Randall turning isn't weird. Of course he turned!"

"What?"

Oh God, they didn't know. _She'd _have to be the one that told them. _She'd _have to be the one to tell them that they're all going to turn eventually.

Faye took a breath in and out. "You don't have to get bit. When you die, you turn."

"How do you know that?" Patricia asked.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Lori demanded.

This was bad, they were angry. "I-I thought you knew! You know, 'cause, 'cause you know about aiming for the head!"

"Look, calm down, how do ya know all this?" Daryl raised a hand at Lori to stop the woman speaking.

Faye ran a hand up and down her arm uncomfortably, shifting on her feet as she was scrutinized by the group. "Well, back at the other camp, these guys... uh... got shot."

Michael shot them when he was having a really crazy day. Lauren and Frank Peterson, the couple that used to live down Faye's street, and Jeff, who owned the barber's shop. They didn't even do anything, Michael just turned around and shot them one day, he'd been talking to himself again and they'd wanted some guns to go on a run.

"It wasn't in the head. We were about to bury them, and then they, you know, turned. The first after an hour, then the other two somewhere between three and four. There's no way they ever got bit."

Faye hated remembering all this. She'd been trying to push these memories to the back of her mind, only to appear every now and then in her nightmares.

The group was silent as they continued to listen.

"It wasn't just one time. Someone took loads of pills, we found her the next morning."

That was Kaylee Martins. She was only nineteen, and her family had all been killed in the first few days.

"After a while, it wasn't hard, the adults worked it out. Doesn't matter how you die. Gotta be the brain. I don't know what it is about the bite, I don't really get it at all, but, you know. It's not like I know for fact, but everyone was pretty sure back then."

There was silence as the group took in the information.

"Oh, God." Andrea muttered.

Daryl frowned. "Let's just get Rick n' Shane back, then we can figure it out better."

Once some of the adults left to walk outside and Lori went upstairs to fetch Carl, Faye sat back on the couch and took a minute to collect herself.

The camp was all in the past, she needed to forget it. Those memories weren't helpful, all she needed to do was push them to the back of her head. Yes, that usually worked.

Beth was sat near her and when Faye looked up, she received a small smile. She was pretty sure a conversation would have started if Lori didn't come rushing down the stairs.

"Faye, when was the last time you saw Carl?"

What? Was he lost? "Erm, I dunno, he was upstairs with the binoculars. It can't have been that long ago."

The woman walked out again and, with a mixture of concern and curiosity, Faye followed.

She found the group outside, staring out into the distance.

To Faye's horror, the distance was covered with walkers.

* * *

Author's Notes:

One more chapter to go before Season 3! I'm off school for holidays now, so I've been writing all day. Hope you enjoy. There was also the little scene between Faye and Andrea that had been suggested, I think Faye benefited well from it.

Only got one review last chapter, don't disappear on me now, it's just getting good!

Saw the latest episode of Season 4 this morning, so glad to see Baby Judith alive. Lizzie always creeps the hell out of me though, but she was suffocating a baby!

On a happier note, the next update will be Thursday. See you then!

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	11. Abandon

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

She found the group outside, staring into the distance.

To Faye's horror, the distance was covered in walkers.

* * *

Faye was pretty sure she was having a panic attack.

It took a while for any of the adults to notice she was standing there, they were all too preoccupied with handing out guns. When Patricia finally noticed the young girl struggling to breath, Faye was finally taken inside to calm down.

The woman to her to just breath in and out, that they were going to be fine.

_In._

But how were they ever going to be fine? There were walkers _everywhere._ Too many for the group to handle. Yes, they'd try, but then everyone would die or be eaten and then _Faye would be alone all over again because she would run away while** everybody else was killed!**_ It was happening _all_ over again and Faye wasn't sure how many more people dying she could take. The camp was being overrun once more, only now on a bigger scale.

_Out._

No. They all had to run away. Faye didn't want any of them to die! Why were they being stupid? If they stayed on the farm, they'd all become food for the walkers! She didn't want to go through that again. What if she returned the next few days and found them _all _dead on the road. Faye didn't think she could do that again, kill someone she knew. All that blood on her hands, no, _no_, **_no_**, they had to run away!

_In._

Carl was gone, Faye could hear Lori and Carol's shouts. He'd probably been stupid again and run after Rick. She didn't want to see him die! Rick was the leader, if he was smart, he'd get back and convince people they had to go! That was if they hadn't already gone. And Daryl, don't get her started on Daryl.

_Out._

Daryl was probably defending the farm right now, defending the group. Killing all the walkers that stood in his way with that stupid bad-ass crossbow of his. Come to think of it, they were all out there, guns blazing. How many walkers were there, anyway? There must have been over a hundred. Maybe some of them could be led away, they had the vehicles to do it.

_In._

No! What was she thinking? That couldn't be done, the group would every single person out in a car, or shooting stragglers. What was _she _doing to help? She was sitting there. Everybody was doing something but her. She should be out there helping, shooting a few at least. Wasn't that what she promised?

_Out._

Yes. Faye promised that next time, she would be fast. She'd be strong. She didn't need to be worried about.

_In._

She had her gun, she could do it. Faye could go out there, and she could do what she had to. The group needed her, right?

_Out._

Checking the gun, Faye found it still fully loaded. Of course it was, Faye almost rolled her eyes at herself. She hadn't had to use it since gun training.

_In._

The girl held her gun in her hands. She could either sit here and wait for the walkers to attack all her friends, or she could get up and stop them getting to the house.

_Out._

Faye stood, a determined look on her face as she flicked the safety off on her pistol.

Slinging her backpack onto her shoulders in case they _did _have to make a quick get away, Faye walked towards the door and pushed it open.

"Faye, what are you doing?" It was Carol who shouted. "It's too dangerous out there!"

Oh, she was well aware of that.

Faye contemplated a witty comeback, but when none immediately came to mind, Faye simply threw a thumbs up before stepping out and shutting the door.

Looking up, Faye realised all the reasons she had panicked. They really were everywhere, and were closing in on the house.

Hershel was stood outside, shooting the walkers continuously. Faye took a final breath in and out to calm herself before hopping over the fence, like Daryl had, just as Carol tried to grab her shoulder. Faye ignored the woman's yells as she stopped a few metres from Hershel. The old man barely registered that she was near him.

Snarling brought Faye's attention back to the threat in front of her. Raising her gun, Faye's finger trembled as it lay on the trigger. Then, the thought of being stronger ran through her mind and she held the pistol steady.

_Bang. _The first walker fell to the floor. Had this not been a life or death situation, Faye might've have applauded herself on the shot through the forehead.

However, she was too busy shooting two more walkers to do that.

The fourth staggered forward shakily, it's legs, arms and face thin. Faye thought it must have died from starvation. Poor guy.

Unfortunately, Faye's thoughts temporarily took away her full focus and the bullet grazed it's temple. In a small panic, Faye quickly shot again, missing completely before the third bullet finally pierced it's skull, the body falling a little too close for comfort. One more walker was shot down before Faye heard Lori's shout.

"Faye! Hershel! Come on, it's time to go!"

_Finally._

The girl stepped backwards as she moved back towards the voice, eyes staying on the walkers. To her dismay, she found the old man was not coming with her.

"Faye! Let's go!" Lori continued.

Deciding the old man would be fine - he seemed to have more than enough ammo and someone _had _to come and collect him, maybe Maggie, Faye fully turned around and ran to Lori and Carol. "Thatta girl, come on, let's get out of here." Lori said to her, but was obviously focused on looking for other people as her head turned about.

With Beth and Patricia behind her, Faye ran along side Lori as they ran, and shot three walkers, missing an extra shot too. If Carl and Rick weren't here, then _she _would try to protect her. Carl needed a Mom.

Shooting as she went, the small group made their way to the car.

Suddenly, the girl halted as there were a shrill scream rang through the air. Faye spun around to see Patricia in the hands of walkers and immediately knew there was no saving the woman. Lori ran to grab hold of Beth's hand, who was still desperately clutching onto the older woman's hand. Faye followed Lori to cover her as more walkers swarmed to the area, attracted by the noise and smell of blood.

Faye tried to avoid looking at the dying woman, blood coated her neck, arms and body as she screamed. It was yet another sight that would return in her nightmares.

The three remaining girls moved on again, Lori holding up a distraught Beth. As the walkers in the area began to surround them, a familiar blue truck drove a slammed to a stop just in front of where they were walking.

"Get in!" Andrea cried as she got out the front door.

"Get Carol!" Lori said as she quickly ushered Beth into the front seat. "She went that way!"

Realising there was no room left in the front, Faye quickly clambered into the back. "I'll be okay back here!" She shouted when Lori gave her a concerned look.

Andrea ran around the truck to get to Carol, shooting two walkers as she did so, and Faye followed her lead and raised her gun once more. As another body fell to the floor, Faye began to worry that she would run out of bullets. This gun could hold, what was it, fifteen rounds? Faye did a count of how many she'd fired in her head before realising she only had _four _bullets left. _Four. _She'd wasted at least three.

Now she had to take on a small herd heading towards the truck with a knife and four shots.

Fantastic.

Faye waited until a few of the walkers were closer until she shot them, making sure that they wouldn't be wasted.

Then, she realised as she pulled the trigger, she had just used her last bullet.

The undead began to pile up against the side of the truck, reaching over to try and grab her. Alarmed, Faye back away on her hands and knees until she hit the other side of the truck, until to jump to her feet with a cry as snarls came from that direction too.

It seemed T-Dog and Lori were preoccupied with watching Andrea and Carol until Faye slammed her fist against the back window, reminding them that yes, they were surrounded, and yes, Faye was completely out in the open to get bitten.

Just before T-Dog brought the engine to life, one walker grabbed hold of her ankle, pulling Faye toward it as she fell onto her back. Faye screamed loudly and reached towards her gun, only to remember it was empty. As she reached under her jumper towards the knife, Faye kicked at the walkers head as it reached over and tried to get in the truck. This was a weak walker! She should be able to push it off of her, surely!

Suddenly, there was a heavy jolt as the truck moved forward, pushing against the growing crowd of walkers. Despite the now moving vehicle, the growling walker held on tight and as it was dragged. To her horror, the thin waist of the dead female began to tear, and half it's body was left dangling off the side of the blue truck.

Fumbling to pull the knife out, Faye yanked her ankle out of the walker's grasp and backed up against the window of the truck. It was then she heard Lori shouting at her, but her attention was only taken for a second. The truck swerved suddenly, apparently to avoid getting trapped again, and the walkers body finally ripped in two, the bottom of it's spine sticking out as blood poured into the back of the car.

Faye tightened her grip on the knife as she quickly scrabbled up, preparing to stab the crawling walker.

When it finally reached her, the bony arms failed around, grabbing her left arm as Faye swiped and missed the walkers head, hitting the metal by it's head. Faye brought her arm back up to take another swing just as the walkers hand was about to bite into her arm, growling with an almost-battle-cry as she did so.

With a crack of its skull, the knife plunged into the walkers brain and specs of blood splattered onto Faye's face.

The hand on her arm still gripped on however, and it was clear she hadn't gone far enough into the brain. Pulling the knife back out, the second blow wasn't enough either as Faye finally yanked her arm out the walker's hold, the fingers still twitching.

It took another two hits to completely kill the walker and by that time, the face was unrecognisable. As she pulled it out for the final time, Faye dropped the knife onto the floor of the truck, horrified by the bits of brain sliding off it, by the blood covering her hands.

Gasping for breath, Faye relaxed and let herself fall backwards into a sitting position.

"Faye! Faye!" Lori was still shouting to her, it had barely even registered in her brain. "Are you okay? Are you bit?"

The girl clenched and unclenched her hands repeatedly, adrenaline still running through her veins. "I- I- I killed it!" She called back. "I'm okay, I'm okay." She repeated the line a few times, as if to reassure herself too.

"I'm okay. I'm okay."

* * *

Faye spent most of the ride staring at the dead walker's body. It was a horrific sight to say the least.

The girl had curled up in the corner of the truck, near the window, so the blood might not roll over to her. Guts were hanging from the bottom half of its body and the face had been bashed beyond recognition. Faye silently apologised to whoever this woman once was. Nobody deserved to end up like that. _She'd_ never forget them, at least. Hell, they'd probably turn up in her nightmares that night.

Faye also made a mental note to apologise to T-Dog for getting blood all over his truck.

But when she heard engines in the distance, Faye couldn't help but get her hopes up. Lori had made T-Dog turn around to find the others, had the move been worth it?

It had. Maggie and Glenn's green car was up ahead, and in front that was the unmistakable sound of Daryl's noisy motorbike. When T-Dog sounded their horn to grab the cars attention, Carol had turned and waved, smiling. Faye had reached over the side and given a half-hearted wave back with Lori, but was still in slight shock over the events.

When the convoy of cars reached the highway, everyone had smiles on their faces. Lori was reunited with Carl and Rick - who were fine. The Greene's were also back together, other than Patricia and, as it also seemed, Jimmy.

Then, Carol came to the back of the truck to help Faye get out, when she saw the mess that was the dead walker. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"Uh..." Faye didn't enjoy recalling the events, so stated the obvious. "Erm, a walker happened."

"Yes, I can see that," Carol looked disgusted by the sight. Faye didn't blame her. It disgusted her too, and the smell was rising. "Come on, let's get you out of there."

Faye nodded. Then Daryl wandered over and he saw the body. "'the hell?"

The girl ignored the look on his face as she spoke. "Can, can you open the end, please?"

He did, and then helped her when she tried to kick the body out the truck. Carol then wiped her face as they went back to the group. Faye talked quietly to T-Dog. "Sorry, I kinda made your truck a mess."

The man turned to her, confused, before glancing back and noticing the blood stained metal. There was a flash of annoyance on his face, but it quickly disappeared. When he spoke, Faye knew he was speaking childishly to cheer her up, but went along with it anyway. "Nah, it'll clean. 'Sides, you showed that thing who's boss right? Handle yourself pretty well."

Faye nodded and smiled back.

"Where'd you find everyone?" Rick asked when he finished hugging Lori.

Daryl spoke. "Glenn's got his tail out zig-zagging all over the road. Figured he'd have to be Asian driving like that."

Glenn seemed to be in too good a mood to be mad at Daryl's comment. "Good one."

As the group continued to talk, it was clear some people hadn't made it.

Andrea. Shane. Patricia. Jimmy.

Faye was barely starting to get to know Andrea too, and she'd been right there when she left the truck. Had she died saving Carol? _Was _she even dead? Faye hoped not. Girl power! Andrea could make it!

"I say head east." T-Dog put forward.

"Stay off the main roads," Daryl agreed as he picked up his crossbow to take out a stray walker. "Bigger the road, the more walkers, more assholes like this one. I got 'im."

The walker fell back as the arrow pierced it's skull.

Plan made, the group piled back into the cars, Faye now with the Grimes.

With the red car leading, they hit the road.

* * *

The cars ran out of gas pretty quickly and people were beginning to panic. It was freezing, there was no shelter and they were low on ammo, the group had everything to be worried about.

Faye, however, felt eerily calm. She'd done enough panicking at the farm to last her a week, so she let the adults battle it out. Maggie wanted to make a run for gas, Rick said no. Glenn said they were stranded, Rick said they weren't. They'd found each other, he said, that they were going to keep together.

_That _Faye could agree on. They were lucky that they'd found each other, Faye doubted T-Dog could have lasted long with three girls.

Eventually, Rick decided they should set up camp by a stone structure.

Beth spoke to him. "What if walkers come through? Or another group like Randall's?"

"You know I found Randall, right?" Daryl asked Rick. "He turned, but he wasn't bit. We still need t' talk 'bout that." The man gave a nod in Faye's direction. "Faye said her old group worked it out, we all turn. We need t' figure it all out."

Rick gave Faye a look that she wasn't sure how to respond to. "I- I- They- We weren't ever sure, you know. It's not like we could do tests, it might _not _be true!"

The was a moments silence as Rick seemed to collect himself before speaking.

"It is." The man said, looking down at his feet. "We're all infected."

"What?"

"At the CDC, Jenner told me. Whatever it is, we all carry it."

The CDC? Wasn't that the big building in Atlanta that was for medicine? Faye couldn't remember. She didn't know who Jenner was either, but he must've been a doctor or scientist for Rick to believe him so well.

"And you never said anything?" Carol questioned.

"Would it have made a difference?"

No. Maybe. Faye didn't know that either.

Glenn seemed annoyed. "You knew this whole time?"

"How could I have known for sure, that guy was-"

Yeah, Glenn was annoyed. "That was not your call! Okay, when I found out about the walkers in the barn I told for the good of everyone."

Rick gave him a hard look. "Well, I thought it best if people didn't know."

Faye avoided looking at the man. She'd kind of ruined his plan there.

Rick then walked off and Lori followed him. Faye took her usual place by Carl's side at this point, whenever his parents left him.

Faye noticed that tended to be a lot of the time.

* * *

The group were doubting Rick. Doubting his strength, his honour. Keeping that secret hadn't been a good idea.

Luckily for Faye, they weren't mad at her. Why she'd been expecting them to be, she wasn't sure, but she had. The was nothing to worry about in that respect.

However, once the group heard a noise and suddenly wanted to leave in other directions, there was plenty to be worried about. While the adults stood and Rick talked them down, Faye struggled to stay seated next to Carl.

"Do something!" Carol said sharply.

"I am doing something!" Rick said, obviously wanting to shout. "I'm keeping this group together, alive. I've been doing that all along, no matter what. I didn't ask for this! I killed my best friend for you people for Christ sake!"

Woah.

Faye wasn't sure how to process that information. Rick had killed Shane. Not a walker, not Randall, not the herd, _Rick _had. Faye had never liked Shane, but never wished for him to be dead. Faye didn't think she could wish that on anyone.

Everyone was stunned into silence.

"You saw what he was like. How he pushed me, how he compromised us, how he threatened us."

Faye definitely saw what Shane was like, if you put it like that.

"He staged the whole Randall thing, lead me out to put a bullet in my back. He gave me no choice! He was my friend, but he came after me."

At that point, Carl broke down in his mother's arms. Faye could only watch, unable to comfort her friend. Whether she did or not, Carl liked Shane like a big brother, or something along those lines.

"My hands are clean!"

There was more silence. No one dared to speak.

"Maybe you'd be better off without me. Go ahead. I say there's a place for us, but maybe that's just another dream, maybe, maybe I'm fooling myself again. Why don't you go and find out yourself. Send me a postcard! Go on, there's the door. Let's see how far you get. No takers? Fine! But get one thing straight - if you're staying, this isn't a democracy anymore."

Faye got the feeling that last sentence would have had more effect if she knew what democracy meant.

When no one protested, no one spoke, no one even moved, Faye could tell it was a big deal.

A big deal that had everyone scared. They feared the walkers, feared what was to come, feared for each other.

And right now, they feared _Rick._

* * *

Author's Notes:

Season Two: Over! Yay for early updates! It's half term break so I've had extra time to write. Thank you for the reviews and I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

The next chapter will be out on Sunday so I have some time to work on another story that I've kind of been neglecting :/

Uh, I need sleep. It's quarter to two in the morning here in the UK. I'm off to bed!

So, I'll see you then for Season Three!

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	12. Discovery

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

"Maybe you'd be better off without me. Go ahead. I say there's a place for us, but maybe that's just another dream, maybe, maybe I'm fooling myself again. Why don't you go and find out yourself. Send me a postcard! Go on, there's the door. Let's see how far you get. No takers? Fine! But get one thing straight - if you're staying, this isn't a democracy anymore."

Faye got the feeling that last sentence would have had more effect if she knew what democracy meant.

When no one protested, no one spoke, no one even moved, Faye could tell it was a big deal.

A big deal that had everyone scared. They feared the walkers, feared what was to come, feared for each other.

And right now, they feared _Rick._

* * *

Another house, another area, another plan. This place wouldn't last long.

"Half an hour, I call it." Faye whispered to Carl as they hurried up to the house. The boy rolled his eyes at her, but she knew he felt the same. Lining up behind him, Faye now kept her mouth shut. Now was not the time to be joking.

Carl's hands gripped his pistol, a silencer now placed on the end. His hair was already dripping with sweat under his hat, and Faye imagined that hers didn't look any better. The boy still held onto the sheriff's hat, much to Faye's amusement. When the adult's were around, she switched from calling him dumbass to sheriff, often trying to knock off his hat while she was at it. It was the little things like this that kept them going, and the adults were always pleased to see a little childish behaviour coming from them.

Faye was broken out of her thoughts by a slam as Rick pushed the front doors of the house open, shooting a walker before T-Dog rushed in and bashed the second's head in. Now focused, Faye followed in after Carl, the two children heading to different parts of the house. While Carl moved forward through the house with his father, Faye headed up the stairs. T-Dog or Daryl would probably join her later on, but she could handle herself pretty well.

Of course, it had taken a while to convince the group of this.

* * *

_Faye was sat in the car, bored and border-line sulking._

_It had been a week since Carl had been allowed to join the raids, and despite her protests, Faye was still not allowed to join them. Apparently, quoting Dale hadn't been enough to sway their decision. Carl was annoyingly smug about the whole ordeal._

_It was **so **unfair._

_Faye's original plan had been to wait it out, eventually the adults would see that she was reasonable and patient._

_However, Faye was neither of those things._

_When Carl made the comment "You're a girl, stay with the women. We don't need you to come.", Faye's temper flared. He had been teasing her, but she was at the end of her rope._

_Unfortunately for him, Andrea taught her well._

_Faye uncrossed her legs on the back seat of the car before taking out her gun. Carol turned to her with a raised eyebrow when she checked how many rounds she had._

_The older woman's voice was questioning when she spoke, despite the nickname. "Birdy, what you doin'?"_

_Faye didn't reply as she fit the magazine back in place with a click. Thirteen bullets, that was pretty good. She didn't actually want to use them, they hadn't found silencers for everybody so there would be plenty of noise, but it was nice to know they were there for an emergency. Looking out the window, Faye watched as Rick slammed the door open and the group went inside. This was her moment._

_Reaching for the car door, Faye pushed it open and swung her feet around._

_"Faye, what do you think you're doing?" There was no playing in Carol's voice this time._

_"Where does it look like I'm going? It's unfair that Carl gets to go and not me. It's, it's sexist! Girl's can do everything boy's can and I'm not letting them push me around." Faye recited some of Andrea's words._

_"Let me guess, did Andrea tell you that?" Lori pitched in. "Sweetie, Andrea's gone."_

_Faye frowned. "All the more reason to keep it going."_

_With that Faye jumped the rest of the way out the car. Carol was obviously reluctant to follow. "Faye! Get back here!" The woman hissed._

_In response, Faye gave a thumbs up over her shoulder. _

_Instead of going in the front door, Faye quickly went to the back garden of the two story house. She had to be quick, or the others would notice. Peering over the fence, Faye saw a walker with facing away from her._

_This was good, surprisingly. Now she could prove she was able to defend herself._

_Gripping the wooden fence, Faye tried to pull herself over without attracting the walker's attention._

_This failed, as when Faye dropped clumsily on her back with a thud, it snarled quietly and started to turn around. Without hesitation, Faye got up and pulled out her knife, immediately running towards the man. Before it could grab her, Faye jumped and plunged the knife through the skull. She yanked the blade out and the dead body began to fall forward onto her before she pushed it sideways so it fell to it's back. Faye took a second to look it, taking in a few breaths as her heartbeat slowed down again after the rush._

_The blow was hardly a 'clean' stab through the eye, but it got the job done._

_Faye decided to count that as her first knife kill, rather than the mess that had been T-Dog's truck._

_Leaving the garden, Faye moved up to the back door. Faye turned the doorknob carefully and stepped into the house. She wanted to make a big entrance for her group, not the walkers._

_Looking around her, Faye noticed she was in a hallway. She could hear movement in the next room and she carefully tread on the floorboards. As she looked down the hall, she spotted a doorway. Through it, Faye found herself looking into a kitchen. It must've been nice before the outbreak, only now the carpet was faded and dust lined the work tops and cupboards. Other than that, it looked relatively untouched._

_And in the corner, crouching on his knees with his head practically inside a cupboard, was her best friend Carl. Faye smiled a little as she watched him bang his head before taking off the sheriff's hat and putting it on the floor by his bag._

_The moment would have been funnier if a walker didn't also come into her view._

_Faye bolted down the rest of the corridor and tightened her grip on the knife in her hand. How hadn't Carl noticed? Was a cupboard really so interesting that he didn't notice the rotting smell of a walker?_

_Faye heard his shout of surprise when he turned to see the walker as she got into the room. _

_As he reached for his gun that he must've placed on the ground, Faye was already behind the walker, stabbing the walker through the back of the head. When it still wriggled, Faye twisted the knife in an attempt to get the blade deep enough. Weak walker as it was, it was still adult sized, too tall for Faye to get straight into the brain every time. Rick burst into the room and Faye pulled the knife out with a grunt, the walker collapsing to the ground._

_Faye took a breath in and out to calm herself. _

_Time to play it cool, it's not like her best friend nearly got eaten or anything. She just saved him like a badass, she wasn't even scared!_

_(That was a complete lie.)_

_Rick looked thoroughly confused._

_Faye smiled sweetly. "Don't worry, I just thought I'd come in and save your son even though I'm not good enough to help raid a house. Oh, and the walker in the back garden? I took care of that one too."_

_Daryl wandered in. "House is clear. No walkers." The man raised his eyebrow when he saw her._

_Faye snorted. "So, can I join in now? 'Cause way I see it, a 'little girl' just took out more walkers than a whole group of guys."_

_She knew it wasn't really like that. If they'd come across the walkers, the men would have taken them out fine. But still, Faye had a point to prove here._

_Rick simply turned to Daryl for an answer. He frowned at her. "If ya stop the sass, then we'll see."_

_Faye grinned. "Awesome! You're the best!"_

_Carl was still silent when Faye went over and stood by him. Smirking, Faye bent down and picked up his hat, putting it on her own head. "Maybe I should be the new sheriff around here."_

_Carl scrambled to his feet to take the hat back as she started to walk around the room in it. "Hey!"_

_Faye switched back to the grin. "Do I look smug? I definitely feel smug."_

_Carl nudged her with his shoulder. "Shut up."_

_The girl simply laughed._

* * *

Getting to go on raids was a lot more simple now, there was no questioning whenever she got out the car to join the party.

Faye focused back on the task at hand and stood by a door, listening to see if she could hear a walker shuffling about. When she didn't immediately hear any, she held up her gun and pushed the door open, quickly turning around to see if there was anything hiding.

There wasn't. Running a hand through her damp hair, Faye sighed. She really needed to get it cut, the fringe was starting to compromise her left side vision.

Aside from that, her hair was thick, and didn't help in the heat whatsoever. If they ever had time, Faye guessed she could ask Carol to cut it. Unfortunately, they didn't have much of that to go around. Maybe she could look out for a clip next time they found a children's room.

Faye quickly checked around the room for anything useful. It didn't take long, the old bedroom was simply a mess of sheets and junk. Leaving that room, the girl walked to check the second room.

Once again, she stopped and listened. Green eyes narrowing, Faye held up her gun as she heard a rustle. Gently kicking the door open, Faye pointed her gun around the room, to find nothing.

Then, the girl jumped as there was a hoot, spinning round to find an owl by the window. An owl? She must have missed it, expecting a walker.

That was one weird owl. Faye had only ever seen a common barn owl before, this one was doing a funny thing with it's wings.

Light footsteps were coming towards the door, the girl assumed it was Daryl. When as raised crossbow came into sight, it was confirmed. The man glanced at her before staring at the bird.

"An owl?" She whispered, not wanting to alarm the animal.

"A dinner." He murmured back.

With that, an arrow was placed through the bird's eye.

"Kind of a small dinner."

* * *

"Pluck it. Try not t' butcher it."

Faye stared at the dead owl in her hands. Daryl had done this before, with another kind of bird. She'd got half way through when he stopped her, saying she was ruining it. Faye had protested at this point, saying he had just given it to her and told her to pull out the feathers. Apparently, though, her argument was invalid. She just watched as the hunter did it himself.

She was fine with trying again, wanting to show that she _had_ paid attention to Daryl, but frowned.

This was the creepiest owl she had ever seen. The creepiest bird. She would have thought the creepiest _thing_, but she had seen some pretty weird walkers out there.

But it was _eyeing_ her and Faye half expected it to get back up _squawking_ and _peck her face off_.

Alright, maybe her imagination ran away with her a little bit.

Stupid demon-owl, giving her looks.

"Oi, you comin'? Not scared of a bird, are ya, Birdy?"

To say Faye was annoyed when Daryl picked up the nickname from Carol was an understatement. He didn't call her it as freely as Carol did, _no way_, but he did to annoy her, or speed her up if she wasn't moving fast enough. "Ain't afraid of a bird." The girl grumbled as she continued down from the stairs into the living room. The older women were already walking in as Faye picked off the first few feathers, carefully to not tear the skin too much.

When a figure sat next to her on the floor, Faye smiled as she looked up at Carl, who looked a little pleased with himself. The boy nodded back to her as he got out a can opener and she continued to pluck the demon-bird in her hands. The group gathered in the room and Rick paced around. When he noticed his son open one of the tins however, he stopped to pick one up and examine it.

Faye flinched as the man suddenly threw the can into the corner. He looked back over at the kids and Faye tightened the grip on her bird. The leader walked away though, his attention taken by T-Dog who hissed, gesturing to the approaching threat.

Everyone grabbed their bags and rushed out the back door, running back to the cars.

Faye frowned.

Forget what she said, half an hour was too much to ask for.

* * *

"So," The convoy had stopped and T-Dog was taking a group to the creek. "While they do that, why don't we hunt? I did okay with the owl, didn't I?"

Daryl slung the crossbow on his back. "Ya didn't chop it t' bits like last time, a' least."

Faye ignored the insult. "See? Didn't I earn a trip?"

Daryl would have probably gone on his own, maybe with Rick, if she didn't suggest it. But Daryl rarely ever took her hunting, saying she was too loud, and always asked if she could go. Hunting was cool now.

The man mulled it over for a few seconds before giving a little nod. "'Kay. That owl didn't exactly hit the spot." He turned to Rick. "Hey, while the others wash their panties, I'm off huntin', takin' Faye."

Rick nodded to the both of them before they headed off, and Faye waved to Carl.

This was great! He hadn't let her come with him in weeks!

* * *

Faye kept quiet most of the time, obeying Daryl's rule he'd put in place for her, but she eventually talked. She didn't really like silence.

"So, I'm thirteen now."

Daryl didn't look at her as he replied, eyes forward. "I know. You was teasin' Carl the other day over it."

Faye smiled over the memory. Yes, she'd teased the hell out of Carl.

The man continued as the two reached a train track, silently deciding to follow it. "What's it matter?"

"Well, I was thinking," Faye said her next words quickly. "'Cause it was kinda my birthday and I know they don't really matter anymore but I don't really mind myself so I thought maybe-"

"Spit it out."

"Can I try your crossbow?"

This was one of several things Faye had yet to accomplish. The second was finding out T-Dog's real name. The third had been why Shane's top was open, but she couldn't really ask that anymore, it would be really awkward. The _fourth _thing was finding out if Glenn was Korean, Chinese or Asian. Daryl had made jokes about Chinese and Asian, but was pretty sure Glenn had corrected him once, but she wasn't sure if he was being sarcas-

"No."

Faye blinked as she was brought out of her day dream.

Damn. Faye wasn't sure what other excuses she could come up with to use the crossbow.

But, she'd expected this answer, so had a back up request. "What about learning to use a rifle?"

Daryl raised an eyebrow at her. "What makes ya think ya gettin' a present, anyway?"

"I'm not!" Faye quickly covered up. "This is just me asking you to teach me how to use a rifle!"

The man turned away as they continued on the track. Faye stayed silent for a minute, feeling slightly defeated, before trying again. "So, can you teach me?"

"I _could _teach ya. Why not ask someone else?"

Faye answered immediately. "'Cause your cooler. And you take me hunting."

Daryl didn't argue with her answer.

The girl stared at his back for a few minutes, kicking the dirt with her boots, and he eventually seemed to notice. After a while, he turned his head slightly to see her. "Maybe."

Faye grinned. Maybe meant yes!

Well, she hoped it did, at least.

New determination in her step, Faye listened out for any movement in the bushes that could be animals, or walkers. Eventually though, Daryl stopped and Faye nearly bumped into him at the unexpected stop.

Looking up at him, he was staring intently at something. Faye followed his gaze.

There, in all it's walker-infested glory, was a prison.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Yay! Season 3! Prison time!

Thank you for the reviews, it's always nice to hear you thoughts. What do you think Faye's going to get up to? I have a lot planned ;)

So, I'll see you Wednesday for the next update!

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	13. Home

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

New determination in her step, Faye listened out for any movement in the bushes that could be animals, or walkers. Eventually though, Daryl stopped and Faye nearly bumped into him at the unexpected stop.

Looking up at him, he was staring intently at something. Faye followed his gaze.

There, in all it's walker-infested glory, was a prison.

* * *

"It's perfect."

Rick was right, the prison was perfect. Faye stood by Carl as the group surveyed their surroundings.

Well, it would be perfect. They just had to sand the edges down.

By that, they had to take out all the walkers in the field, yard, cell blocks, and any that were hiding.

"If we can shut that gate, prevent more from filling the yard. We can pick off these walkers. We'll take the field by tonight." Rick continued.

Hershel spoke, the growls of walkers in the background. "So how do we shut the gate?"

"I'll do it," Glenn replied. No, he probably wouldn't. Not if the look on Maggie's face had anything to do with it. "You guys cover me."

The woman shook her head. "No. Suicide run."

Glenn protested a little before Rick agreed with Maggie. "No, you, Maggie and Beth draw as many other there. Pop 'em through the fence." The man turned to the hunter. "Daryl, go back to the other tower. Carol, you've become a pretty good shot. Take your time, we haven't got much ammo to waste."

Rick then turned to the children. "Hershel, you, Carl, Faye, take this tower."

"Right." Carl nodded.

"You got it." Faye finished as the three hurried to the tower door.

Climbing quickly, they were able to see more of the field and prison. Faye turned to Carl with a grin. "Think we can really do this? There'll be so much space!"

The boy seemed excited too. "We can do it. We can make it safe, then we'll be able to stay here!"

Hershel smiled at the two kids as they held up their guns, Rick about to run into the field. "We _could _make a life here. For now though, why don't we focus on clearin' the field?"

Both nodding, the children lined up on the rail as Lori opened the door to the field.

Then the shots rang out, walkers dropping as Rick made his was to the gate of the yard. Faye was careful with when she shot, not wanting to waste any ammo. Firing, the girl gave a little smirk as the bullet hit straight through a walker's forehead. That was a damn good shot.

Soon enough, Rick made it safely to the guard tower, gate locked closed, and Daryl gave the call to pick off the stragglers left roaming in the field.

With a final bang, the last walker fell to the ground.

Glancing at each other, the two children grinned before running to climb back the tower. They had earned this space, and they were going to make the most of it.

* * *

"What if there are prisoners inside?"

The group had sat down and dinner was just about to be cooked when Faye asked. Next to her, T-Dog gave the girl an incredulous look. "Alright, I'm gonna point to the yard and give you a minute to work out why that was a bad question."

"No, no, I know the walkers are prisoners, but what about if there are any alive? What if they, like, hid from the walkers?"

T-Dog raised an eyebrow before repeating himself. "I'm gonna point to the yard and give you a minute to work out why that was a bad question."

"What's wrong with that?" Faye held her head up with her hand as she grumbled. "Could be."

Carol added to the little conversation. "It's been too long, all the prisoners would have died from dehydration and starvation. They won't be a problem."

"Oh." Faye got it now. "I'm not worried about them being a problem anyway." Faye nudged Carl with her arm. "Sheriff over here can have his first arrest!"

When night finally fell, the food was ready. The group sat around the fire to eat, Faye still sat in between Carl and T-Dog. Content with letting the others hold up the conversation, Faye sat cross-legged as she ate.

"Mmm, just like Mom used to make." Glenn said, throwing the bone into the field. Was he being sarcastic? Faye wasn't sure, but she liked the taste. There was a minute or so of more silence before T-Dog spoke up.

"Tomorrow we'll pull the bodies together, keep 'em away from the water. Now, if we can dig a canal under that fence, we could have plenty of fresh water."

Hershel continued. "The soil is good. We could plant some seed. Grow some tomatoes, cucumbers, soy-beans."

That was good. Faye always liked tomatoes. It was a good plan as long as they could actually find the seeds.

"That's his third time around." Faye turned to see the old man talking about Rick. "If there was any part of it compromised, he'd of found it by now."

Yeah, but was Rick was just looking out for Lori and the baby, right? If there was anything wrong, they needed to know. But, maybe three times was a bit much.

Apparently trying to lighten the mood, Beth smiled at the pregnant woman. "This'll be a good place to have the baby. Safe."

Faye glanced over to Daryl, he should be eating right now. Carol took him something, knowing he wouldn't have any food otherwise. Sure enough, the woman was stood on the upturned vehicle with him. Actually, they were quite close together.

...

Was Daryl giving Carol a back rub?

Faye held back her grin as she and Carl shifted into a lying down position, the girl resting her head on her arms. Carol was always flirting with Daryl, it was funny to watch. But a back rub? Man, those two were finally getting somewhere!

Well, maybe.

"How about Partin' Glass?" Hershel was trying to convince his youngest daughter to sing. It would be a nice way to end the day.

Beth looked awkward about the situation. "No one wants to hear."

"I do." Faye said, smiling when the blonde girl looked over to her.

Glenn encouraged the girl. "Why not?"

Sitting up, Beth agreed. "Okay." She glanced round at the group again before starting. "_Of all the money e'er I had, I spent it in good company. And all the harm, e'er I've ever done, alas, it was to none but me._"

As the blonde sung on, Rick wandered back, Daryl and Carol joining them too. All the group now present, Maggie joined Beth in the song. "_Oh, all the comrades that e'er I had, were sorry for my going away. And all the sweethearts that e'er I had, would wish me one more day to stay. But since it falls unto my lot, that I should rise and you should not. I'll gently rise and I'll softly call, goodnight and joy be with you all."_

Faye was pretty sure she would have fallen asleep then, eyes drooping shut, if Rick didn't start talking.

"Better all turn in," Yeah, that was what she was trying to do! "I'll take watch over there. Gotta big day tomorrow."

Propping her head back up with her hands, Faye grumpily listened as Glenn questioned what their leader meant.

"I know we're all exhausted. This was a great win, but we've got to push just a little bit more. Most of the walkers are dressed as guards and prisoners, looks like this place fell pretty early, could mean the supplies are intact. Infirmary, commissary-"

"Armoury?" Daryl asked.

"That'd be outside the prison itself, but not too far away. Warden's office would have information on the location. Weapons, food, medicine." Rick listed. "This place could be a gold mine."

"We're dangerously low on ammo." Hershel was right, Faye herself only had six bullets left in the Glock 19,and the adults probably had even less. "We'll run out before we make a dent."

Rick nodded. "That's why we have to go in there - hand to hand. After all we've been through, we can handle it, I know it." The man then turned to Faye and Carl. "These assholes don't stand a chance."

With that, the leader stood and walked off.

Faye wasn't sure whether she liked that plan. She was capable of using a knife - didn't always take down a walker in one because they were often too tall - but she didn't like it. Using a knife meant you felt the skull crack beneath your hand, blood often splattering on your face, it was too up close and personal for Faye's liking. When the girl was finally given a silencer, she was relieved she could use that instead.

Carol came and sat down next to her. "Come on, you should get some sleep."

The girl didn't argue.

* * *

As it turned out, Faye didn't have to kill that many walkers.

Rick took Daryl, T-Dog, Glenn and Maggie into the yard to secure the second gate while the others were told to draw away as many walkers as they could, killing them through the fence. Faye still had to use her knife, deciding to save her bullets for a more urgent situation.

Then the adults inside the yard disappeared from sight.

Carl's hand gripped the fence, trying to get a look. "I can't see Dad."

"I can't see _anyone. _That just means they're closing the gate, right?"

The boy nodded, as if assuring himself. "Yeah."

Sure enough, the small group emerged unharmed, but did not immediately walk back. Instead, they cautiously made their way into a cell block.

"Think it'll take long?" Carl asked, eyes on the door his father went through.

"I don't know. Depends how many are in there, but the yard didn't take much time and there were loads of walkers. They'll get us in in no time." Faye said, looking at the same spot.

It took a while, but eventually, they were called into the cell block.

They were called into their new home.

* * *

As everyone chose a room, Faye could easily see Carl wanted to follow Beth. At first, Faye was unsure what to tell him, but went with teasing.

"Follow her, lover-boy. I'll wait outside." Faye smirked at him.

Carl did the usual 'arm-nudge' to tell her to shut up, but the girl just sniggered in response.

Like she said, Faye leant against the wall when Carl went in, silently listening to his attempt at conversation. Then, much to her amusement, Hershel walked over.

The old man raised his eyebrows at her upon noticing Carl and in return, Faye smiled sweetly. Oh, she couldn't _wait_ to hear Carl's excuse.

As the farmer walked in, Faye pressed her lips together to stop giggling. "You find a cell yet?"

Faye covered her mouth with a hand. "I- uh- yeah! I was just- uh- just making sure Beth's safe. See ya tomorrow."

When the boy emerged from the cell, he had a blush on his face. Looking over at her, he frowned at the grin on her face. "Shut up."

"Didn't say anything!" Faye skipped ahead of him to the stairs, sticking her tongue out at him childishly. "Come on, lover-boy, let's go get us some cells."

Both children walked up the metal stairs, stepping around Daryl's things at the top before choosing a relatively clean room.

"You said _some _cells, don't wanna share?" Carl asked as they sat on the bed. "It'll be boring."

"Won't your Dad want to share one with you?" The silent 'because he won't share with Lori' stayed just that. Faye knew they were having problems, the whole group did. The secret of Lori and Shane had gotten out, Carl one of the last to hear. The topic was sensitive.

Carl nodded. "I guess he will. You'll be okay by yourself?"

Oh. That hadn't occurred to her, being alone in a prison cell. She reasoned with herself as she spoke, hoping the words would come across as playful. "Nah, I'm a big girl, you know. 'Sides, you can just get the cell next to mine, we can visit. Take your stuff next door, we can unpack and meet up again." Faye finished with a pat of the wall by the bed. Agreeing, Carl dragged his bag next door. As Faye stood up to put her backpack onto the top bunk, Faye heard Carl complain.

"Why do I have to have the dirty cell?" He called to her. Faye laughed.

"Clean it or move, dumbass!" Calling back, Faye was pretty sure Daryl would be able to hear them. The man either didn't care about the language or wasn't listening.

Faye grinned as she heard shuffling come from the other room before an annoyed looking Carl walked past her cell, dragging his bag along the floor. "Hypocrite."

When the girl merely laughed, Carl shook his head, unable to hold his own small smile.

Hopefully, there would be more laughing from now.

* * *

Carl was fiddling with a guard hat as some of the group prepared to leave.

Tossing her his hat, the boy pulled it over his head. The two were hoping they could join the adults.

Faye put on the sheriff hat herself, her fringe being pushed down into her left eye. Faye chuckled a little at Carl's messed up hair when the helmet fell off, and he seemed pleased to amuse someone. Then Rick came over, and the mood was ruined.

"You won't need that." He said, giving Faye a glance too. "Need you to stay put, both of you."

Of course they wouldn't let the kids with them.

"You're kidding?" Carl said.

Faye added to it. "Yeah, we're good shots!"

"That's why I need you here. We don't know what's in there." He said the next bit directly to Carl, or at least, Faye hoped he did. "Something goes wrong you could be the last man standing. I need you to handle things here."

"Sure." Carl nodded, taking the keys from his Dad. Well, if Carl agreed, Faye guessed she did too.

"Great, let's go." Rick said as he made his way to the door and the two children followed behind. Just before the man followed his team, he tapped Faye on the shoulder. "Hey, our favour still stand?"

Faye frowned a little before realising Rick was talking about their chat back at the farm. Smiling, she replied.

"You got it."

* * *

Author's Notes:

Don't throw things at me! Okay, so Carl still has a little crush on Beth. Right now? Yeah. Will it last forever? No. Give it time and you will be rewarded XD

And to the excitable guest reviewer, yes, I noticed you! I read all the reviews. Season 4 will have _plenty _of moments to enjoy. On that note, thank you to all the reviewers! Reading your comments make my day!

So, more excitement for Faye next chapter! See you on Friday.

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	14. Intruders

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

"Great, let's go." Rick said as he made his way to the door and the two children followed behind. Just before the man followed his team, he tapped Faye on the shoulder. "Hey, our favour still stand?"

Faye frowned a little before realising Rick was talking about their chat back at the farm. Smiling, she replied.

"You got it."

* * *

For a while, the cell block was relatively peaceful. More peaceful than it had been in a long time.

Then suddenly, everything was not peaceful and an unconscious Hershel had no leg. There was shouting, blood and through the panic, Faye snuck out.

Because Daryl was arming himself. Because _something _was coming.

Before T-Dog locked the cell door, Faye slipped through unnoticed and walked up behind Daryl, footsteps loud enough to not surprise the man and earn herself an arrow through the eye.

Hand on her gun, Faye murmured to him, sensing she shouldn't be too loud. "What's coming? Walkers?"

Daryl shook his head slightly. "Nah. Prisoners. What you doin' back here, go back to the others."

Oh, she was going to be _so _smug later. So, so smug. But, that could wait, there were more pressing matters.

Pulling out her gun, Faye gave what she hoped was a tough look. "I can handle myself, I'm a good shot. I'm helping defend the prison."

The man looked annoyed at her answer as he pulled out an arrow to load into the crossbow. "That's just tough, ya ain't. Them guys are probably murderers, in for assault, _fuck_, could be paedophiles. You think I'm letting them near a little girl?"

Faye bit back the 'I'm not a little girl!'. "I think you're gonna except that I wanna help for once. They make a move against us, then they're just a bad as the walkers, and I'll be fine with shooting 'em."

Daryl looked reluctant, but Faye stopped the grin as he gave her a chance. "How much ammo you got?"

"Half." Faye replied once she checked the magazine.

"They ask, tell 'em you got full. 'N stand up straighter, ain't no use lookin' weak. Anything happens, you go back when I say, got it?" With a firm nod from the girl, the two raised their weapons when voices were heard down the hall. "Let me do the talkin'."

Before Faye could nod again, the first prisoner walked in.

The muscles on his arms were large and he had long black hair pulled back on his head. What Faye was most concerned about, however, was the gun in his hand. A smaller prisoner walked in behind him, and then, as almost to contrast him, a very large man walked in after that. To her relief, none of them had guns. The girl hoped it didn't show on her face, which she was trying to keep neutral.

Then, voice unwavering, Daryl stopped them. "'S far enough."

The first prisoner spoke as the final two walked in. "Cell Block C. Cell Four, that's mine. Let me in."

"Today's ya lucky day, fellas. You've been pardoned by the State of Georgia, you're free to go." Daryl continued, ignoring his request.

The black haired man pressed on. "What you got going on in there?"

"Ain't none of your concern."

Faye tensed as the man pulled out his gun, raising her own a little. "Don't be telling me what's my concern."

"Chill, man." The larger man spoke. "Dude's leg is messed up. 'Sides, we're free now. Why we still in here?"

_He _had the right idea. Apparently, Daryl thought this too. "Man's got a point."

"I wanna check on my old lady." Another said.

"Group of civilians, breaking in to a prison you got no business being in?" When said out loud, that did sound a little strange. But, hell, it was the apocalypse. A lot more stuff's normal that would never be before. "Got me thinkin' there ain't nowhere for us to go."

Yeah, he had a point. Yeah, he would have to deal with it. Faye felt more confident when Daryl was there too. "Why don't ya find out?"

A blonde prisoner spoke up nervously. "Maybe we'll be going then."

"_Maybe _we ain't leavin'!"

"Maybe you ain't comin' in, either!" T-Dog came storming in through another passage, gun aimed on the prisoners. It was good to have another person against the gang of five prisoners.

It was also good that T-Dog saw that she had been _right. _Faye liked being right.

"This is my house, my rules, I go where I damn well please!"

Well, tough! That wasn't the way things were anymore!

Unfortunately, Faye wasn't yet confident enough to say that to the man's face. She might next time she was about further behind Daryl, rather than by him. She didn't want to back away though, she needed to look tough, just like Daryl told her.

The men's voice level rose until they were shouting at each other for dominance. In between it all, Faye saw the small prisoner stared at her, either intrigued or confused by her presence.

Either way, Faye made a point of pointing her gun in his direction, one foot sliding forward slightly. Daryl seemed to notice the movement and give her an approving glance before continuing his shouting match with the prisoners.

Then, Rick came running, stopping the fight about to break out. "Hey, hey, hey! Everyone relax, there's no need for this!"

If there had been time, Faye would have admired the fact that Rick alone could stop even the prisoners shouts. Well, he had been a cop before, she summarized.

"How many of you in there?" The black haired prisoner's gun was still raised.

"Too many for you to handle."

"Oh yeah? 'Cause way I see it, you've had to bring a little girl into ya ranks."

Rick looked over with a frown, and the look he gave meant she was in trouble. He'd given that look to Carl _plenty _of times.

Luckily, Daryl came to her rescue. "She's here 'cause she's a damn good shot. Don't mind havin' someone like that 'round."

Hoping to further his point, Faye glared at the apparent 'prisoner-leader' and shifted her aim to him - or, more specifically, his head.

"What you guys do? Would of thought you'd robbed a bank if ya don't got kids. Why don't you take him to a hospital?"

The group exchanged glances before Rick spoke calmly. "How long you been in that cafeteria?"

"I dunno, like ten months." The man flexed his grip on the gun.

The big man added to the conversation. "Riot broke out, never seen anything like it."

The blonde and tiny prisoners added. Faye could have laughed at the thought of the walkers being just cannibals. No, cannibals could be locked up, controlled, imprisoned for life. They could die normally without a shot to the head. Faye doubted walkers could ever be controlled.

They carried on talking before Rick talked again. "There is no army."

"What do you mean?"

"There's no government, no hospitals, no police. It's all gone."

Faye knew this fact. They all did now, it had been accepted for a long time. It didn't make it any easier to hear out loud, no way. Not for her at least.

The prisoners protested a little, asking to ring their families. "You just don't get it do you?" Daryl said.

No, they didn't. It was horrible to watch a man realise his family was all dead.

"No phones, no computers. As far as we can see, at least half the population's been wiped out. Probably more."

She hadn't thought about her computer in such a long time. She used to love the video games she an Andy used to-

No. That time was all gone. _All gone_. Faye refused to think about any of it. This conversation was bringing back too many memories for the girl's liking.

"Ain't no way." Yes, there was! This was life now!

"See for yourself." Rick gestured towards the door.

* * *

"The hell you think your doin', coming out there?"

Faye had been right, she was in trouble. "I was being useful."

"Go back, now." Rick tried to use his authoritative voice, but Faye had heard that too many times.

"No. I can handle myself just fine. S'not like I've jumped into the middle of them, is it? 'Sides, Daryl said I could."

The leader obviously wasn't pleased at this answer. "We don't know how dangerous these people are, you think I'm going to let a _kid _come alon-"

Faye interrupted him, she'd also heard that speech before. She was stubborn and determined. She was _going _to help. "Daryl said that. Then I said if they tried to kill us, they were just the same as the walkers. I'm fine with shooting them, they've probably killed people anyway. Besides, what Daryl said was true, I'm a good shot, give me a chance."

Rick sighed and ran a hand over his face before seemingly submitting. "I'm hoping it won't come to that. If it does, you stay _behind _Daryl, T-Dog and I. You will do as we say."

Hoping to assure the man, Faye nodded firmly.

For the moment, Faye was ordered to stick by T-Dog. As they walked back outside, Faye lightly nudged the man with his elbow and whispered to him. "When we get back, I have permission to be really smug." Faye would have grinned, but she was still trying to look tough. So, she smirked. Smirking was more badass than grinning, anyway.

The sunlight hit them as the cell block door creaked open, the prisoners basking in the light. Faye looked around at the dead bodies on the floor. How many were there, forty? Fifty? If she had walked over, the girl could have selected the few that she killed, more of them in the field.

Hell, she probably had more blood on her hands than those prisoners did. Well, unless any of them were mass murderers. Faye doubted that they were though, the blonde one with a moustache seemed to be a nervous wreck.

Still didn't trust him, though.

The big man poked a body. "So, what is this, like a disease?"

"Yeah." Rick answered. "We're all infected."

The moustache-man spoke up. "What do you mean, infected? Like aids or something?"

What was aids?

"If I was to kill you," Daryl said. "Shoot an arrow in your chest, you come back as one of these things. 'S gonna happen to all of us."

Walking round the bodies, Faye frowned. These people were stupid, they'd never last long if they didn't know this information. How had they survived for ten months with walkers banging on their door?

Problem was, they were stupid and _violent_. That was a dangerous combination. No amount of looking nervous could change that.

The leader looked unimpressed. "Ain't no way this group killed all these freaks. Must be fifty bodies out here. With kids too? No way."

Daryl was about to open his mouth to defend her when Faye moved her own. She'd had enough of being silent and underestimated today. "I'm more than capable of killing 'em. Shot plenty out in the field, killed a few here too. Got one twice my size-" That was a complete exaggeration. "-Stabbed him right through the eye once I knocked him down. Wasn't quite deep enough, had to twist, wasn't a pretty sight. Want me to drag him over for you to see?" Faye glared the whole time.

"Damn, girl's got guts." The tiny prisoner sniggered. "Got Daddy issues, eh, little lady?"

"Something like that." Faye spat out. She could practically feel the other's eyes on her. Once she started talking, it all came out. "Came at me and got too close, so I shot him down. Just like that, through his whole head."

Faye made a shooting motion below her chin, pointing upwards. "With _that _blood on my hands, I don't think Daddy issues covers it. I ain't a little lady."

Giving the prisoners hard glares, attention was finally brought away from the girl. Faye blanked out most of the adults conversation as they fought for dominance and ownership of the prison. Eventually, it was decided that half of the prisoner's 'small' food supply would be given up in exchange for a cleared out cell block.

As the group made their way back to the cafeteria, Daryl gave Faye a light pat on the back. "Nice job, ya shut 'em up. All that, uh, really true?"

Faye knew he meant the part about her Dad, but she ignored that bit.

(That was completely true.)

"Nah, that guy wasn't twice my size."

* * *

Author's Note:

Enter the prisoners!

Thank you for reviews, we've got over 50 followers now! You guys are epic as always :D

So, Chapter 15 will be up on Monday, anything you want to see? Let me know, I'm always open to suggestions.

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	15. Nerve

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

As the group made their way back to the cafeteria, Daryl gave Faye a light pat on the back. "Nice job, ya shut 'em up. All that, uh, really true?"

Faye knew he meant the part about her Dad, but she ignored it.

(That bit was completely true.)

"Nah, that guy wasn't twice my size."

* * *

There was more than a little food in the cafeteria.

"This what you call a lil' bit of food?" Daryl said, shining a torch in the leader's eye.

The man shrugged. "Goes fast."

Well, it will if you feed it all to Big-Tiny.

What kind of a name was Big-Tiny, anyway? Maybe it wasn't his real name, like T-Dog. Then again, the prisoners were making jokes about a little bed, perhaps it was that.

She was probably over thinking it, though. It was just a name.

"You can have a bag of corn, some tuna fish-"

"Said half, that's the deal." Rick interrupted, looking round the food supply. Faye hoped they got stuff other than tuna fish, she hated the stuff. Rick then investigated what must have once been a fridge, food inside gone off and stinking of rot. The door was immediately slammed again.

The silence was extremely awkward when the blonde prisoner spoke up. "Can't wait to have my own pot to piss in."

Faye scrunched her nose up. That was disgusting.

* * *

In the end, Rick left the decision to Daryl on whether Faye would join them on the raid of a cell block. The leader had expressed how he thought it would be a bad idea, also saying some words in the hunter's ear, but then let Daryl be the decider.

"I think ya know what I'm gonna say." Daryl crouched down to her level, the prisoners busying themselves picking a weapon.

"Please!" Faye frowned. "I can do it! I'll even stay at the back, if you want, I'll just keep watch to see if any come up behind us! I won't be in the way."

Daryl shook his head. "Still too dangerous."

"It's like you said, I'm a good shot." Faye was pretty sure Daryl muttered something under his breath about her being stubborn, but she didn't care. "I can handle myself!"

"Look," Daryl waved a hand in what must have been annoyance. "We might not be able to let these guys live near us. Or send 'em away. Get what I mean?"

Oh.

_Oh._

Faye stayed silent, shuffling on her feet. She'd known this was a possibility, if they made a move, she'd been prepared to do it herself. Well, she _thought_ she'd been prepared. When she didn't reply, Daryl continued.

"If we gotta off with 'em, ya shouldn't be there. Ain't no kid gotta see that."

Faye shrugged a little. It wasn't that she didn't care, death worried the girl and plagued her nightmares. She just didn't want to think about it, pushing any bad thought to the back of her mind. "I've seen worse. Please, I can handle it."

Daryl ran a hand through his hair, obviously debating in his head. Faye was pretty sure he didn't know how to handle this with a kid, but she could manage fine. Eventually, he replied. "Fine. But if _one _thing goes wrong, you're goin'-"

"I go back." Faye finished.

Daryl nodded. "Women gonna have my ass for lettin' you go. Carl too, ya know."

"The women can go to me!" Faye grinned. "And Carl? What, nah, he'll just be jealous. I'll make sure of that!"

Standing up to his full height, Daryl acknowledged the other two men as Rick and T-Dog walked back in. At Faye's presence, Rick raised his eyebrows, but didn't speak as the four stood in front of the prisoners.

"Why do I need this," The prisoner held up a crowbar before pulling out his gun. "When I got this?"

Because noise ruins every plan.

"You don't fire guns, not unless you're back's up against the wall. Noise attracts them." Daryl replied. "Really riles 'em up."

"We'll go in two-by-two. Daryl on point with T. I'll bring up the rear with you." Rick pointed his knife towards the smallest prisoner. "Faye, you're there, too, keeping an eye out so nothin' sneaks up on us. Stay tight, hold formation, no matter how close the walkers get. Anyone breaks rank, we could all go down. Anyone runs off, they could get mistaken for a walker - end up with an axe to the head."

Daryl added to the instructions. "That's where you aim. These things only go down with a headshot."

"Ain't gotta tell us how to take down a man."

The girl frowned. That hadn't been the response she was expecting.

* * *

Faye crept sideways, glancing forwards to make sure she didn't bump into Rick or the small prisoner. Knife held up, Faye kept watch as the other's waited for walkers to finally catch them.

"It's comin'!" Stupid blonde prisoner, wouldn't shut up. Their naivety was frustrating. The man was quickly shushed.

It was hard to not turn around when she heard the snarls of walkers, but knowing the other's would be able to handle it, the girl stayed focused on her job. It was her one thing to do, she was going to do it well.

But when the prisoners let out a battle cry, Faye couldn't help but turn and see what had gone on.

They all ran forward, beating and stabbing the walkers in practically every spot _but_ the head. Lining up with Daryl and the others, it was clear some more guidelines needed to be put in place.

After regrouping and moving forward, the convicts were ordered to hold their positions.

"Gotta be the brain," Daryl said, walking up to a walker with his crossbow raised. "Not the stomach, not the heart. The brain."

The arrow flew, the walker went down.

One by one, the prisoners all walked forward and took out a walker each, finally listening to the command of 'hit the brain'. When more started to come, formation still tight, they began to take out the walkers more efficiently. Faye didn't have to do much, still keeping an eye out for any walkers coming from different directions.

Then, she noticed Big-Tiny back away.

"Hey!" Faye called to him. He muttered something back, maybe along the lines of 'I'm fine', but Faye still informed one of her group. Rick was closest. "Rick! Big-Tiny wandered off!"

The man frowned as he turned to face her before nodding to T-Dog, motioning his hand for the two of them to get the larger prisoner. By the time the two got there, he was facing off against two walkers.

T-Dog got the one in front of him and Faye ran around the side, attacking the one coming from behind. Kicking it roughly in the shin, the walker fell to it's knees just before it scratched the large prisoner. The girl shoved her knife through where Big-Tiny must have hit it once before and it fell forward. Rick, Daryl and the other prisoners ran in when it fell forwards, Faye pushing it to the side.

Frowning as she looked, the walkers arm and head pooled with blood. She then turned to the large man, who still looked alarmed. Faye spoke, wiping away the specs of blood on her neck and cheek. "You didn't hit it hard enough. Would've come up behind you, then your scratched, then you're dead." She was surprised by the seriousness of her own voice.

Rick waved his arm a little. "_This _why we don't break rank. You wouldn't be alive if it weren't for my people, we have to stick together. On our own, we can get easily surrounded, got it?"

Big-Tiny looked around slowly. "Alright. Thanks."

The last word was quiet but Faye gave a slight nod to him as she walked past, Daryl giving her a light slap on the shoulder in what she thought might have been a 'well done'.

She didn't ignore the look in Tomas' eye as she passed by.

* * *

On the move again, the group continued to make their way through the winding passages. Faye was stood at the back once again, a step or two behind Daryl and Rick.

She hoped they'd be done soon-ish. She had some serious bragging to do, but needed to stay focused on the task at hand.

(Also, it was dark and gloomy walking through the corridors. It creeped her out, the prisoners not helping at all. Of course, she wouldn't admit this.)

"You see the look on his face?" Faye looked up to see Daryl muttering to Rick. Yeah, how could anyone miss it? That guy was scary, the girl would've stood in front of the two men had he not been there.

"He makes _one _move." Rick replied, not turning to face the man.

Apparently, Daryl agreed. "Jus' gimme a signal."

It almost saddened Faye that she wasn't surprised in the least.

After a few more minutes, the group reached a laundry room, another set of two doors on another wall. When there were no walkers inside, they all gathered in.

Rick threw the keys at the leader-prisoner's feet.

"I ain't openin' that." He protested.

"Yes, you are." Rick replied smoothly. "You want this cell block. You're gonna open that door - just the one, not both of them. We need to control this."

Doing as he was told, the keys were picked up and the black-haired man held the door handles. Faye went around to the other side, mimicking T-Dog. "You bitches ready?"

The man yanked at the door, making everyone flinch, but it did not budge. Never mind the others, was he ready?

He pulled again. When it didn't open, he spoke. "I got this."

Faye held back a snigger, and all traces of humour left has both doors came flying open, walkers immediately pouring in.

"I said one door!" Rick bellowed.

"Shit happens!" The prisoner yelled back, too busy killing walkers to continue the fight.

One walker stumbled towards her and Faye gripped her knife as she plunged the blade through it's eye, the body falling forward. As quickly as the first had, another walker made it's way towards her, Faye readying her knife again as she edged towards it.

However, Faye was forced to jump back with a quiet squeal of surprise as it fell towards her, tripping over the first dead body. Faye heard the small prisoner snort next, making no move to help.

Come on, Faye, you're supposed to make them think you're strong. Get it together, girl!

Before the walker got to it's feet again, Faye slammed it's head back down to the floor, hoping her wince at the sound of cracking skull was unnoticeable. Getting it over with quickly, the girl thrust the knife into the back of the walker's head with a hard shove before yanking out the weapon as pushing away the body.

The prisoner went back to ignoring her as Faye stepped back from the killing for a moment. Maybe Daryl had been right, maybe she should have stayed in Cell Block C. These up close and personal kills, the last one especially, she just wasn't used to it yet. The blood ran from her knife down onto her hand, Faye shaking her head vigorously to remove the bad memories to the back of her head, where they belonged.

Suddenly, her attention was brought away by a shout, and Faye span around to see Rick pinned down by a walker. Not preoccupied by anything or anyone else, the girl ran over and grabbed it's shoulder, pulling the body up far enough for the man to pull up his own weapon and stab it through the eye.

Faye murmured to Rick as the man got up. "What the hell was that?"

"Him." Rick muttered, the dark tone of his voice unmissable. Once the final walker was killed, Rick stood in front of the prisoner, machete in hand.

The black-haired man was apparently trying to play it cool. It didn't amuse anyone. "It was coming at me, bro."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." He got it in a different way, Faye thought. "Shit happens."

The silence was unbelievably tense, the fight was inevitable. Faye would have backed away, but felt unable to move.

A second later, the machete was imbedded in the prisoner's head in one slash.

Faye stared wide eyed and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, pulling out her gun to mimic Daryl, pointing it at the blonde prisoner's head. While Rick chased the small prisoner away, Daryl ordered the remaining three to their knees. Daryl stood by Big-Tiny, Faye by the blonde and T-Dog by the third.

Had she not just witnessed her leader almost killed, Faye_ might _have felt pity for the nervous man. Unfortunately, she had seen it, and she felt no pity. "We don't have no affiliation whatsoever with what just happened! Tell 'em Oscar, Tiny!"

Oscar had the right idea, hands held up in the air. "Stop talkin', man."

"Come on, little lady, I know ya probably don't wanna be pointin' that gun at me! I'm scared of 'em myself, scare the bejeezus outta me-"

When he continued to ramble nervously, Faye flicked the safety off and back on again with her pistol, making the clicking noise. This made him stop and she spoke. "Listen to your friend. Shut up." She was quite proud of that.

Eventually, Rick returned without the small prisoner and interrogated the three remaining prisoners.

Just like before, Axel - who's name Faye finally discovered - begged for his life, it was a pathetic sight to say the least. Big-Tiny had explained how Tomas - yet another name - threatened them, how he'd told Tiny if he _had _gotten scratched, he would've killed him. But Oscar was different. He didn't beg, Faye thought his words made the biggest impact.

"I ain't never pleading for my life. And I ain't about to start now. So you do what you gotta do."

All three were left alive, all three moved into the cell block.

Faye still didn't trust them. As the three adults left the prisoner's with a sentence of advice, Faye simply stared at them. Maybe they were expecting some kind of remark from her as they waited expectantly.

She simply gave them one last glance before shutting the cell door, the clang echoing through the silence.

* * *

On the way back to their cell block, the adults talked a little while Faye followed silently, processing the events of the day in her head.

Two more people were dead. Two more people to add to the landfill in the back of her head.

Faye was brought back to reality by the creek of Cell Block C's door opening, Carl walking over with a smile when he saw her. Surprising her, the two children had a little hug before joining the other's at Hershel's cell. "Next time you do that, tell me where you're going. You just disappeared!"

"Sorry!" Faye said with a sheepish grin.

Once outside the cell door, they remained silent, smiling as Hershel began to open his eyes.

This was a good thing, Hershel helped keep everyone level headed, he was someone you could go to if you needed advice. The group needed the old farmer, he was like a granddad to them all.

Daryl lightly put a hand on her shoulder, making the girl notice his presence. He bent down to speak to her quietly, not to disturb anyone. "Ya did good today."

Faye smirked as she whispered a reply. "Does that mean I can try the crossbow?"

"Not a chance."

* * *

"They let you go find the infirmary on your own?! I had to beg Daryl to let me go and that was with three of the group!"

Carl and Faye had retreated to her cell once he demanded to hear everything that had gone on. She'd already explained her part, and Carl had just told her of his trip.

"You saved Hershel like a badass all on your own and I just followed some prisoners!"

Carl didn't want to deny her words, but had to. "Technically, they didn't let me."

Faye raised her eyebrows. "So, you just left without telling anyone."

"Yeah." The boy waved a hand when she opened her mouth to speak again. "And you're not allowed to call me a dumbass 'cause your a hypocrite 'cause you left without saying anything and didn't ask Carol or anyone-"

"Woah, slow down, I wasn't gonna call you it!" That was a lie. The girl frowned. "Besides, why would I ask Carol? She's not my Mom, she can't boss me around."

Carl scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "She's _someone_. I didn't get away with it, Mom got angry with me. So did _Beth."_

"Beth?" This was new. "Why would she be mad at you? You helped Hershel, wouldn't she be happy with you?"

"Exactly! I barely said anything to my Mom when I got the supplies and then she said I can't talk to her like that! What does she know, anyway? I saved her Dad, she should be grateful."

Faye was unsure how to respond. Slowly, she replied, hoping to take his mind off Beth. "_I_ thought it was pretty neat. Did you, err, take out any walkers?"

This got his attention. "Yeah! I shot a couple of them, right through the eye. They were great shots." The boy smiled before adding a final note. "I knew _you _would find it cool."

Faye glanced at his face, a little heat rising to her cheeks. "Yeah, well," Faye tried to make the conversation light again. "If you were cool, that makes me awesome."

"What?"

"You might've killed two with a bullet, but I killed three with a knife!"

It was only once the two children left the cell, that Faye realised they had been boasting about _killing._

* * *

Author's Notes:

Fifteen chapters, hope you enjoyed! Thank you for the reviews, I appreciate your continued support.

What did you think of the mini prisoner arc? Did you like Faye having a bit more action? Let me know :)

Saw the new episode of Season 4 today, I love to see Daryl open up more. I know some people didn't like it, it didn't really advance the plot, but I still enjoyed it. Also, Episode 2 of the game is out tomorrow! Will any of you be playing? I'll be waiting by the computer for it to download.

Next chapter will be up on Thursday, I'll see you then!

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	16. Isolated

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

Faye glanced at his face, a little heat rising to her cheeks. "Yeah, well," Faye tried to make the conversation light again. "If you were cool, that makes me awesome."

"What?"

"You might've killed two with a bullet, but I killed three with a knife!"

It was only once the two children left the cell, that Faye realised they had been boasting about _killing._

* * *

"You got full?"

Faye and Carl were cleaning their guns, sat beside each other on the thin metal stairs. The girl nodded. "Yep. You?"

"Two off." Carl replied.

"Shouldn't have shot the walkers yesterday, then." Faye shrugged. "Knives work fine."

The boy gave a little smirk as he looked at her. "Hypocrite. You hate using knives."

Faye had regretted admitting this to Carl the moment she had said it. It had been a month or so before they discovered the prison, after a particularly messy walker had gotten blood splatters all over her top. "Doesn't matter. We need to save ammo, we're low, remember?"

"You don't have to use a knife _all _the time like you do, though."

She couldn't though, she knew that. Faye didn't always have a silencer, the group didn't have enough for everyone to use one all the time. Right now, she was pretty sure one of the adults had hers.

"-every time."

Faye blinked. "What?"

"I can see it, you cringe every time."

To this, Faye merely shrugged again.

Then, the two children looked up as they heard footsteps, Lori and Beth walking in with crutches for Hershel. Beth attempted to smile at Carl, but he turned his head back down. Faye gave a small smile awkwardly, feeling bad for encouraging Carl to be mad.

Once the women disappeared into the cell, Faye nudged the boy with her elbow. "Come on, Hershel's probably going to go for a walk."

Nodding as he stood up, they walked to the old man's cell door. The farmer pulled himself up into a sitting position, looking over the crutches.

Lori spoke gently. "Just take your time."

As he edged to the side of the bed, Beth stood ready to catch him. "Daddy, don't push yourself!"

"What else am I going to do?" Faye smiled at Hershel's answer. He was tough, she'd give him that. "Can't stand lookin' up at the bottom of that bunk any longer."

Hershel swayed as he stood, gripping the crutches as Lori and Beth helped him stay upright. After a few seconds, he steadied himself and took a step forward. Faye and Carl moved back a little as he made his way to the door of his cell. Lori stopped him.

"That's a good start. Take a rest?"

The man himself disliked the idea. "Rest? Let's go for a little stroll."

A stroll it was.

* * *

"You're doing great, Daddy." Beth said, a wide smile on her face.

Although Lori's hand was still outstretched in case he took a turn for the worse, Hershel was actually doing extremely well. He took to the crutches quickly.

This was a good thing, having the farmer back on his feet made everyone more cheerful, Faye could see the others watching from a distance.

"Ready to race, Hershel?" Carl asked, a grin on his face.

"Give me another day," He replied, a surprisingly mischievous look in his eye. "I'll take you on."

There was a moment of peace as the group simply stood, basking in the moment of tranquillity.

It was gone as quickly as it came.

It was the footsteps she heard first. As she spun around, the growls came next. Then she cursed. "Shit!"

"Faye!" Lori scolded, still not seeing the threat. "Don't say-"

Lori saw them too.

Carl finally shouted it out. "Walkers!"

This time, Faye didn't hesitate to pull out her gun, forgetting the worry of sound.

Fifteen bullets for God know how many walkers. Stepping forward as she flicked off the safety, three walkers fell to the floor. Moving forward again, Faye yelled to the others. "It's the gate! Someone opened it!"

As Faye shot one more walker that got too close, she knew the gate had to be shut. If it wasn't, more and more would just come pouring in, drawn by the noise.

The girl ran a hand across her face before muttering a final curse, feeling slightly more grown up for saying it, too. "Fuck my life."

Then, just as T-Dog arrived on the scene, Faye ran forward, shooting two more bullets. Six bullets gone. Nine left.

Skidding to a stop, Faye almost tripped as she ducked under the arm of a walker before turning to shoot it in the back of the head.

Spinning her head around, the girl saw she wasn't _that _far from the gate. Unfortunately, she was now almost completely surrounded by walkers, four of them directly coming towards her. Facing left, Faye shot the first down. The other three got closer, panic finally setting in. Quickly, Faye aimed and shot the second walker, but missed. The second shot brought it down, but Faye screamed as she was suddenly grabbed from the other side.

Gun dropping away from her, Faye toppled over with the walker on top of her, the stinking breath making her want to throw up as she tried to hold back it's shoulders. It's hands reached forward, about to scratch her neck open and Faye screamed again, hoping someone would get through the walkers.

She was _so _stupid, why had she run for the gate? Now she was going to die and it would be painful and she would turn-

Her hysterical thoughts were stopped as the body fell limp on top of her. A large hand yanked the body off the small girl before reaching for Faye herself.

T-Dog pulled her to her feet before reaching down and shoving the gun back in her hands. "You bit?" He asked, obviously in a hurry.

Numbly, Faye shook her head. She didn't feel bit. She was pretty sure she would be screaming and in tears if she was bit. No, she was still whole. This was reassuring.

"Alright then, we gotta close the gate. You with me?" T-Dog asked as he shot another walker.

Faye then nodded as she quickly worked out how many bullets she had left. This usually made her feel better.

Six bullets. That was, what, half? Yeah, six was half of fifteen, right? She'd check with Carl later, she had bigger problems.

It seemed that Carol and T-Dog had taken out quite a few of the remaining walkers, but Faye saw no sign of anyone else. Perhaps they had gotten to safety, yeah, that had to be it.

Regaining control of her breathing, Faye ran beside T-Dog taking out two walkers. Four bullets. Carol stood by one of the doors as Faye guarded T-Dog while he shut the gate, preventing any more walkers entering the yard. A long haired walker stumbled towards them, but Faye shot it down before it got too close. Three bullets. Gate now shut, Faye and T-Dog followed Carol's shout and ran into through the door, walkers fists thumping from the other side.

The three stayed tight as they ran through the dark halls, T-Dog attempting to guide them. "There's a set of double doors that'll lead to a corridor that'll get us back to a cell block."

"You think we can make it out? We could get caught by walkers!" Carol cried.

The man seemed sure of himself as he spoke. "I'm getting us there. God has always been lookin' out for me, he'll get us out of these tombs."

His words reassuring her, Faye followed by T-Dog's side as they hurried through the winding hallways. As they passed another corner, two walkers finally emerged, arms outstretched as they growled.

Checking his gun, the man turned to her. "How many you got?"

"Three." She answered immediately, still painfully aware of how low on ammo she was. Nodding, T-Dog replied.

"Same. Carol?"

The woman did not reply, simply raising her gun towards the walker heads and pulling the trigger. When the only sound was a click, the woman shook her head. "Nothing."

"We'll make do." T-Dog said, the last part directed to her. "Just don't miss, make the bullets count. Got your knife?" When she nodded, he continued. "Put the jumper behind it so you can grab it quickly."

Faye already knew this, Daryl had scolded her once when she was surprised by a walker, but it had slipped her mind in all the commotion.

Striding forward, the first two walker's fell to the floor as T-Dog shot them through the forehead. Sticking close, the three ran around the corner, slamming open the doors. This corridor had another three walkers, Faye having to shoot two of them herself.

That left her with one single bullet.

T-Dog assured the two girls they were going to be okay, that they were close to the cell block, when he was cut off by the loud sound of walkers. As they rounded the corner, Faye finally laid eyes on the group of walkers heading through the passageway. Carol's shout of surprise was quickly muffled, but the noise still attracted attention and the smell of rotting grew stronger as the walkers came towards them, increasing in speed.

Instinctively, Faye span and legged it the opposite way, feet pounding against the stone floor. Reassured by the footsteps of T-Dog and Carol behind her, Faye raced on.

Then, suddenly, she skidded to a stop.

The steps weren't there. Frantically, Faye spun back around, silently praying that she wouldn't see the two adults in the hands of the walkers. When they weren't, Faye realised that they had gone back the way they came.

And as she heard a shout of her name from the other direction, Faye realised, to her horror, that she was alone.

Walkers still approaching, Faye span around and ran down the dark tunnel, blood pounding in her ears.

One bullet, one knife, one little girl.

(This would be life-threateningly hard.)

The more corners she turned, the more walkers seemed to appear. Her feet ached and her lungs heaved for air, Faye knew she was completely lost. That meant the other's would have to come and look for her, if they even thought she was alive. And even if they did, she would be pushing them out further and further.

Quickly slowing down to a stop, Faye pulled out her knife. She was taking a stand, she couldn't go on running in circles. Her fingers shook from the adrenaline, as she held up the gun, trying to steady herself.

The moment the first walker rounded the corner, the girl didn't hesitate to pull the trigger, the bullet landing to the left of it's forehead.

Faye was about to automatically work out how many rounds she was left with before remembering her new predicament.

One knife, one little girl.

(She probably wasn't going to make it out.)

Two more walkers came stumbling forward. Running to meet them Faye pushed the first as hard as she could, sending it back a little bit, before doing the usual routine with the second. Kick the knee, walker falls, stab the head.

Faye had no time to flinch as she yanked the knife out when the first walker approached again, repeating the process. As the blade crushed the walker's skull, yet more walkers appeared through the darkness. As Faye focused on them, the walker beneath her hands reached out again. The girl twisted and pushed the blade as hard as she could, kicking at the walkers flailing arms.

However, she was forced to simply abandon the knife as yet another walker pushed up against the back of the first, almost pulling her hair.

Faye backed away as quickly as she could, but cursed loudly as her head slammed into a metal door. She turned around to see a pitch black room, a metal door hanging open. Seeing it as her only chance to hide, Faye ran in, swinging the door closed behind her.

Her hands searched the cold walls, trying to make out how large the room was, only to make a full circle to the door quickly.

Suddenly, the door banged against it's hinges, and Faye let out a small scream as walkers seemingly piled up against the door, snarling and growling as they scratched at the metal.

Faye sunk to her knees.

She was trapped here.

In this _tiny tiny _room with _lots and lots _of walkers outside that wanted to _eat _her and she was going to _die _because she couldn't _breath!_

Faye's body trembled as panicked tears streamed down her face, hitting the tiny room's walls as if an escape route would magically appear. Her breaths were quick and shallow, bringing no real amount of oxygen to her straining lungs.

A scream of pure frustration and fear came pouring out as Faye realised she would probably die here, alone and in the dark. The walkers would break down the door and she would be torn apart, eaten alive.

As if her life would mean anything, anyway.

One little girl.

(She was as good as dead.)

Head spinning, Faye passed out.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Chapter 16 is done! Thank you for all the reviews, any suggestions have been noted. I'm glad the last chapter was well received.

I've got a very busy few days, so the update will have to wait Monday, or at the _very _latest, Tuesday. I don't want to rush a chapter, then it won't be as good a quality.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	17. Moment

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

A scream of pure frustration and fear came pouring out as Faye realised she would probably die here, alone and in the dark. The walkers would break down the door and she would be torn apart, eaten alive.

As if her life would mean anything, anyway.

One little girl.

(She was as good as dead.)

Head spinning, Faye passed out.

* * *

To say drifting in and out of consciousness locked in a pitch black room with the dead pounding on the not-so-strong door was scary for a thirteen year old girl, was an understatement.

Faye's throat burned from dehydration and her stomach growled. The snarls of walkers had stopped a while ago, but the girl no longer had the energy to stand and push open the door, let alone find her way back through the dark winding hallways. The door was blocked by something, anyway, she couldn't pry it open if she tried.

She would die here, collapsed against the door, her thoughts were coherent enough to figure that much out. It was obvious that the endless silence was messing with her head, unable to see or hear anything.

Damn, she could be dead already! If she was, Faye concluded she was in hell, that this was suffering for whatever sins she committed. Was it because she called Carl a dumbass? She was _totally _sorry about that, she didn't want to go to hell for saying a bad word! The girl took it all back!

(That was a lie, she regretted nothing.)

She might not have even been awake now, it was hard to tell whether dreams were real or not, sleep coming fitfully.

She dreamt of being devoured by the walkers, only to wake to darkness all over again, body covered in sweat.

She dreamt of the group searching for her, Daryl and Carl leading the pack. T-Dog and one of the prisoners were there too, but the four had dismissed her as an almost dead walker, saying how they would return to it later. When they never did, Faye guessed that wasn't real either.

She dreamt that she was saved. That the walls would fall down and light would force her eyes open and she'd be back in Cell Block C, playing a game with Carl or bothering Daryl. These dreams were a sliver of hope, until she woke to the harsh reality of the cramped, silent room.

She dreamt of a figure throwing the door open, poised to kill something. Dream or not, Faye weakly raised her hand in a vain attempt to block whatever was trying to get her, light flooding onto her face. Then the arms dropped.

Oh, yay. It was a dream about getting out. She liked these ones.

A hand reached down and held her chin up, Faye flinching at the contact. Squinting, the girl's eyes tried to adjust to the new light.

"Faye?" Oh, how she missed the sound of words, of other people! "Faye? Ya with me?"

The girl lolled her head to the side in response, not having faith that her mouth could reply.

"Come on, ya better not be turnin' on me, girl."

No! She didn't want this dream to end with her turning! It was a really realistic one, she hoped it lasted a bit longer.

In an attempt to show she was still human, Faye looked the fuzzy figure in the eyes, hoping to show off the green irises instead of walker-white.

Without any more hesitation, strong arms reached down and picked up her limp body, Faye's head resting against the man's chest.

Faye moaned in confusion, this contact felt too real for the girl to be asleep. "Hey, ya gotta stay with me now, Faye."

Her head dropping down, eyes disagreeing with the lighting. The voice seemed annoyed as it carried away from the cell. "What I gotta do, huh? Don't make me call ya Birdy."

Daryl.

Daryl was carrying her away. Away from the hell she'd been stuck in.

As hard as she could, Faye slapped Daryl in the chest.

(If anything, it was more of a flop against his shirt.)

Faye mumbled out as many words as she could, hoping the hunter would get the message. "Shut up. Thirsty. Quiet, I don't like the quiet! Make it go away, Daryl."

"I know, gonna get ya back." Faye guessed he couldn't actually tell what she was saying.

Carrying her with ease, the girl lay in Daryl's arms as he took her home.

* * *

Lying on a real bed was heavenly, Faye's joints relaxing after being locked in a curled up position for so long.

But the water - oh, the water - it felt cool and thick as it poured down her throat. Daryl didn't let her finish the whole bottle, and the longing was still there, but it was enough for now.

The stinging in the girl's throat going away, and she spoke. "You found me!"

"Yeah, I did." Daryl said gruffly. "Wouldn't have happened if T-Dog didn't leave your ass behind."

Faye ignored the language. "He didn't mean to! A big group of them came and we got cut off."

"Still left ya, didn't go runnin' back. Not at first, at least." Daryl muttered the last part, so Faye barely registered it. "Nearly punched him in the face."

"I'm sure he tried." She shrugged. Pushing her fringe behind her ear, the girl quietly said her thanks. "Thank you for saving me. It was really scary."

The man's hard demeanour lessened slightly, but the change was unnoticeable. "S' okay. What happened?"

Faye leant back against the wall. "Well, I just ran away at first. But then more and more kept coming and I had no idea where I was going, so, I took a stand, you know? It wasn't my best idea, I shot one and killed one with my knife. I tried to get another one but I didn't get deep enough in the brain so I had to leave it. It was too much, so I ran for a little longer until I found that room. I just hid inside."

"So it _was_ you."

Faye furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Found a walker with a knife stuck in it's head. Took it out, Carl said it was ya knife. He's still got it."

The girl blinked. "You came looking for me? I thought I went really far out."

"'Course we did. T-Dog n' one of the prisoners came."

So, that dream, one of them, was actually, they really did- Faye was confused. "Oh. I thought I imagined that."

"Ya heard us?" Daryl raised an eyebrow.

"It was kinda hard to tell if it was really you guys or not." The girl didn't feel like continuing the conversation, she wanted to forget what happened. The usual routine, cease to think of the memory until it was practically gone. Twiddling her thumbs, she changed the topic. "Is there any food?"

The man nodded and got up. He waved his hand at the bottle. "Have some more drink. Don't have it all, you'll make yourself sick."

"I won't!"

She was taking a gulp from the bottle when Daryl turned his head to see her again. "You should know something 'bout Carl. Some stuff happened while you were gone."

Faye took the bottle away from her lips. This didn't sound good. Staying silent, she waited for him to continue.

"Lori had the baby, but she didn't make it."

Oh, god. Please don't say-

"Carl had to shoot her."

Faye had no idea what to say. This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't supposed to happen to _Carl_. Carl was the person who was supposed to stay innocent!

Okay, so he had gotten shot, and he killed just as many walkers as she had, but that wasn't the point. She-

The girl had no more time to think as there were noises from the other rooms.

"Must be them. I'll tell Carl to come through."

Not giving her a chance to say anything, Faye watched as the man walked away, listening as he spoke to whoever was there.

"Rick," He said. "Who the hell's this?"

A new person? Faye wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. Probably bad, if the prisoners were anything to go by. Wait, didn't Daryl say one of the prisoners had helped search for her? What was that about?

She couldn't hear the leader's reply, or the mysterious new guy, but Daryl must not have thought much of it, getting straight to his point.

"Now, come on in here," He paused. "Carl, 'specially you."

"Everything alright?" It was Rick, then, must have been worried about his son.

"You're gonna wanna see this."

Rick apparently approved. "Go ahead, Carl, get the bag on your way."

There were then footsteps growing louder and, the girl assumed, coming towards her. Taking one last sip of water, Faye watched as people came into view.

"Would ya look at that." T-Dog said at the cell door, grinning. Hershel stood behind him, a smile gracing his features. A small 'thunk' sounded as Faye realised it must have been Carl dropping the bags, quiet steps moving closer.

She was going to see Carl again.

But, no, it wouldn't be the same Carl. Not quite. They'd be so similar, almost perfect copies. But this Carl, the real Carl, would be broken inside. After you kill someone you love- no- _loved, _you would never be as whole as you were before.

However, as the boy walked into her line of sight and she shuffled to the edge of the bed to stand up, she forgot all about it.

His blue eyes stared at her for a moment, gaze meeting hers, before striding forward and pulling her the rest of the way to her feet, wrapping his arms around her. She hugged him back, ignoring the quiet chuckles of the adults.

"You're alive." The boy said, almost to reassure himself.

Faye tried to make light of the situation. "Sure feels like it."

"Quit joking," He murmured, still keeping her up in the hug. "Hypocrite."

"Dumbass!"

Apparently happy-ish with her alive condition, Carl let go of the girl who moved to hug T-Dog.

"Hey, girl," He said, a grin still adorning his face. "Ya made it, I knew ya would!" The mans big arms wrapped around her and Faye giggled a little as he picked her up.

When she was put down, Faye noticed the smug look on Daryl's face. "I found her locked up in a cell, fought her way in there. Passed out, dehydrated."

Carol was next, but the woman bent down to hug her. "I'm so glad you're okay, we were so worried when you got cut off!"

"You made it out okay?" She asked, flicking her fringe behind her ear as she did.

T-Dog replied. "It was tough, but we got out."

A hand was put on her shoulder lightly, and Faye looked up to see Rick giving her a small smile. "Good to have you back."

She returned it with one of her own. Then, a hand pulled her away and Faye saw Carl leading towards Beth, who had a bundle in her arms.

"Look." Carl said simply.

Faye did so, and stared at the quiet baby in the girl's arms.

This was Carl's little sister. This was what killed Lori. This was what _broke _Carl.

Despite this, Faye found herself unable to be mad at the young infant. If she had been, then she really would be a hypocrite. Her own birth had caused the death of her mother, and her father and brother had treated her well. For the first few years, Andy hadn't shown much love, but they worked through it and became undeniably close.

The girl turned to look at Carl's face. It was sad, happy, all sorts in between, but showed no trace of anger towards the baby.

So, she smiled at the sleeping child. "What's her name?"

"Hasn't got one yet." He said, before murmuring something extra. "Daryl's calling her Ass-Kicker though."

She smirked. "Ass-Kicker?"

* * *

"You were on the list, you know."

Faye looked up from her seat on the floor. She'd put a cushion down to sit on while Carl took the bed, sister in his arms. "The list for what?"

"Names." The boy replied. "There was you, Sophia, Andrea, Amy, Jacqui, Patricia, or-" He paused, and for that moment, Faye saw the broken Carl. "Or Lori. I don't know."

Faye thought it over. They really had thought she was dead, she was on the list of dead people, she even had her own _grave. _That was hard to wrap her head around.

"No." Faye said.

Carl frowned. "No, what?"

Realising that had been quite random, Faye elaborated. "You shouldn't name her after somebody who's gone. She should be someone knew! Or, at least, that's what I think."

The boy nodded. "I get it."

As the baby in his arms began to cry, Carl changed her with apparent ease, the cries lessening. When he was done, Faye asked what she had been dying to do. "Can I hold her? For a little bit?"

Silently agreeing, Carl lifted the bundle into the girl's arms, guiding her. "Keep her head up." He said, shifting her elbow.

"She's cute." Faye smiled down, unsure quite how to react. Looking sideways, Carl was looking down at his sister.

Had she let it be, this might have been an _okay _moment. Not good, there was still too much trouble for that. But it would have been okay, borderline nice even, if you were to push it.

But Faye just had to speak, just had to dampen the mood.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly. "That you had to do what you did."

"Was it like this for you?" Carl replied, sounding surprisingly calm, as if he expected her words.

Faye looked down, focusing on holding the infant. This was a hard topic; she'd spent so long repressing the memories. "You're stronger than I was, I had no direction. You have everybody around you, that makes you lucky."

"I know that." He paused. "I know I'm supposed to be sad, but it's like I used it all up. I have to keep reminding myself that she's dead. I think- I think I get why you have nightmares all the time."

Nope, the nightmares were her limit. She did not speak of the nightmares, they included too much far too quickly.

"Daryl said to me once that they were in a better place. I just find that hard to believe, his heart wasn't in it." Faye stopped herself talking. That definitely wouldn't help. But, the two children had to stay honest with each other - the adults weren't always. "I... I don't want to think they're just gone, though. At peace maybe."

"How can my Mom be at peace? I mean, she left this baby. And my Dad's lost it. I shot her." He sighed, as if defeated. "I couldn't save her."

"It's not your fault." She said, firmly, but quietly. "Think whatever you want, but Lori dying isn't your fault."

He looked back over to her. "That means your family isn't your fault either."

"I... I don't know." The girl shook her head. "I guess not."

"I wish I still believe in Heaven."

"Me too."

Unsure whether she was crossing a line or not, Faye lightly rested her head against Carl's shoulder. When she felt him lean back against her, she relaxed.

_This _was a good moment.

* * *

"Got the flash bangs, got the tear gas. Never know what ya gonna need."

Faye leant against the car as Daryl and Oscar loaded up the car, rolling a pebble under her foot. The girl wasn't sure what either of those weapons were, but if you asked her, they couldn't have been very effective. Gas that made you cry? What was the point in that? She didn't know why that would help get Maggie and Glenn back, but if Daryl said it could, she didn't question him.

Carl walked over with another bag - Faye herself was off duty to get some strength back - and gave her a quick glance before Daryl helped him load it into the car boot. "Don't you worry about your old man, I'm gonna keep an eye on 'im." The two began to move away as the hunter motioned for Faye to follow them. "Come on."

Rick then called for his son, no doubt to have a heart felt chat, and Faye continued to follow close behind Daryl. He picked up his crossbow as he spoke. "You plannin' on trailin' behind me this whole time?"

"Yeah...?" She wasn't completely sure of his tone. Deciding she was probably fine, she picked up her pace a little to match the man's. "I get why you want a grown up to stay, but why are you taking the prisoner's instead of T-Dog?"

"'Cause I still trust T more than them." Faye knew Daryl was still annoyed at the other man losing her, but it was good to hear he still trusted him.

She frowned. "Then why does _Axel _have to stay? I'd prefer Oscar or Big-Tiny. Axel's annoying."

"And stupid." He added. "Useless. That's why he's stayin'."

When they came outside again, he turned and bent down to her level. "Stay safe, okay? No runnin' off."

Faye mock saluted him, replying with a grin. "When have I ever done that?"

To this, she got a roll of his eyes and he stood to speak to Carol. She smiled in return and Daryl patted Faye's head before making his way to the car.

"Hey! Wait!" Faye called, running forward to him. When he stopped to let her catch up, she spoke in a quieter voice as she brushed her fringe behind her ear. "What if- what if you don't come back?"

The man scratched the back of his head awkwardly, a little uncomfortable with the girl's persistence. "Thought I already explained that."

Oh. So his instructions for if he didn't return were to stay safe? "Is that all?"

"Don't need nothin' else. I'm comin' back-"

Faye folded her arms and huffed. "I'm not stupid, I know something could go wrong."

Unfortunately for her, Daryl knew more about the way she worked than she would like to admit. "I know. That's why I'm trustin' you t' take care a yourself. Your smart, you'll know what to do."

Calling Faye smart? That got you in her good books. _Daryl_ calling her smart? This was her lucky day.

"Okay!" Faye beamed at the praise. "You've got to come back though!"

"I will." Repeating his previous action, Daryl patted the girl's head.

Moving to stand by Carl, the children watched as the adults climbed into the car and drove away.

* * *

Author's Notes:

_So _sorry this is late. I won't babble too long with excuses, but I have had and will continue to have an extremely busy week. I fell asleep before I remembered to upload a chapter. Every night until Sunday, I will be performing in a musical (Wish me luck!) so unfortunately, this means I won't be able to update again until Monday. Sorry for the long wait.

However, on a happier note, Daryl found Faye! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 17!

Anyway, I'll see you Monday!

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	18. Break

**I do not own The Walking Dead.**

Previously:

Unfortunately for her, Daryl knew more about the way she worked than she would like to admit. "I know. That's why I'm trustin' you t' take care a yourself. Your smart, you'll know what to do."

Calling Faye smart? That got you in her good books. Daryl calling her smart? This was her lucky day.

"Okay!" Faye beamed at the praise. "You've got to come back though!"

"I will." Repeating his previous action, Daryl patted the girl's head.

Moving to stand by Carl, the children watched as the adults climbed into the car and drove away.

* * *

"Finally got Judith to sleep." Hershel said as he walked up to where Faye, Carl and Beth were sat. T-Dog was currently on watch with Carol and had taken Axel with him after an awkward encounter with Beth. Currently, the three were checking over the guns.

Carl looked up from his work. "How are we for formula?"

"We have enough to last another month." The man replied. This was good, Maggie and Glenn had proven how dangerous going on a run could be. But, they'd be back soon. Faye had faith in the others.

"I'll take T-Dog to get some more at the end of the week."

Alright, apparently that wasn't enough.

"Your Dad and the others will be back by then." Beth said, an optimistic look on her face.

The boy looked up at her. "We don't know that." Like it or not, he was right. They didn't know, but the group was strong. All they had to do was sneak in and get Glenn and Maggie, right? "Right now, Judith's the only family I got."

Just as Hershel nodded in understanding, a faint scream echoed through the room.

"What was that?" Beth said.

The four looked around before the old man spoke. "That was from inside."

"Was it Carol?"

"It can't be, she went on watch with T-Dog and Axel." Faye added.

Beth and Hershel continued to discuss the problem as Carl and Faye exchanged a knowing look. Sliding the magazine back into her pistol and grabbing a silencer, both children stood up.

"We're going." Carl said firmly, only to be stopped by Hershel's crutch.

He shook his head. "I can't let you go down there."

Carl held his head up as he spoke. "My father would go."

Faye opened her mouth to say hers would too, but quickly shut it again. It probably wasn't an appropriate thing to say at that time. Only Hershel noticed her slip. Luckily, she didn't need to say anything, as they were allowed to pass.

* * *

Torch in hand, Faye walked along side Carl. "We've got to be quiet." The boy said.

"Then stop talking, genius!" She whispered back, but meant no harm. It was hard to tell through all the dark, but Faye was pretty sure he rolled his eyes at her.

The hallways were relatively empty, but Faye was glad she had Carl with her - she wasn't sure how she would've reacted to being by herself, surrounded by the decrepit walls. There was the odd body of a rotting walker here and there, but the creepiest thing was the shouts and screams that seemed to be getting louder at every corner they crossed. Unknowingly, she crept closer to Carl.

Suddenly, Carl stopped, staring at a door. Squinting to get a better look, a sign read 'Boiler Room'. Unsure what he was doing, Faye started to speak. "Ca-"

Cut off by the snarl of a walker, Faye spun round and shot, the bullet landing through the forehead.

The boy didn't have any time to explain himself as the screams continued and the two children rushed down another hallway.

Eyes widening in surprise, Faye ran with Carl to get a closer look.

There were _people! _In their _prison!_

The children looked at each other, gauging what the other was going to do, before they both raised their guns, Faye shooting a walker attacking a man with a hammer and Carl shooting for a woman with curly hair. Both adults turned to look at them in shock.

Eyes not leaving the intruders, the girl hissed to Carl. "We can't leave them here."

"I know." He replied. Raising his voice, he called to the new group. "Come on! Hurry!"

Not needing to be told twice, Faye and Carl were followed until the man carrying a woman who must have been his wife tripped.

"Come on!" Faye called, urging them to be quicker. "We can't get stuck down here!"

The curly haired woman ran back. "I'll cover you!" Faye kept an eye of them as Carl focused on the front, shooting a walker.

Turning around he shouted to them. "You have to leave them!"

"No way!" Replied the man in the hat, just as loudly.

As the unconscious woman was hauled over a shoulder, the group ran back through the halls, Faye sticking firmly to Carl's side.

* * *

"I'll take care of it." Carl said, expression grim.

The previously unconscious woman had died, a gaping bite wound on her arm. Carl had his gun aimed on the dead woman's head, two of the men sat beside her. Then man with a dark beard and hat raised a hand to stop the boy. Faye's hand gripped her gun, wary of this new group trying anything.

"Woah, woah, kid, wait a minute." He protested.

Carl avoided eye contact. "She doesn't have that long."

There was the broken Carl again. He must have been thinking of his mother.

"Who the hell are you? How did you get in here? Who are you with?" The remaining woman asked, shovel in hand.

Faye stepped in. "That doesn't matter right now. Do you want to see her turn? We have to deal with this now."

"Exactly." Carl nodded, holding the gun firmly.

The bearded man intervened. "We take care of our own." He reached back into one of his groups bags, pulling out a hammer. The husband cried out.

"No, Tyreese-!"

"We gotta do it, just take Ben and-"

Faye blocked out most of the words from then on, Carl motioning for her to follow him. She had at least a little respect for the man, Tyreese. He was just looking to care for his group, from the looks of things.

The two children quietly left the room, pulling the cell block door behind them. She knew it had to be done, respectful or not, these people were strangers. Beth and Hershel met them by the gate, confused looks on their faces. Shrugging as Carl locked the door, Faye looked back to see the woman protest. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Kid, did you just lock us in here?" Tyreese added.

"Open the door!" She continued.

Carl sounded calm and collected as he spoke, but Faye could see him put on the cool persona. "This room is secure, you'll be safe. You have food and water." Scratch that, he sounded like Rick. Or rather, the old Rick. The Rick that wasn't losing it.

Faye held back the flinch as the woman walked up to the door, holding one of the bars. "Open this door."

"We can't." Faye added, backing her friend up.

"Come on, man, we're not animals! Don't do this!" She pleaded.

The girl looked from Carl, to Hershel, then back to the woman. Nope, she wasn't coming in.

Faye jumped as the woman slammed a hand against the door, the calm tone lost. "Hey! You can't just leave us in here! Open this door!" She shook it again. "Open it! Now!"

Like hell were they going to let her in.

"Sasha!" Tyreese pulled her away from the door, much to Faye's relief. "Back away from the door, and let the kids go. Look around you, this is the best we've had in weeks. Their house. We've got other things to do." Then, he turned back to the two children. "We don't want any trouble."

She'd believe that when she saw it.

* * *

The next morning, Faye was helping Beth get Judith while Carl watched as Hershel bandaged one of the newcomers. The older girl had a look of amusement as she spoke. "You know why Carl's still in a little tiff with me?"

Faye blinked as what must have been a guilty look made Beth giggle. Faye tried to gauge the didn't sound mad, so that was a good start.

"Erm... I didn't mean to encourage him. It was an accident!"

The blonde shook her head. "Don't panic, I'm not mad. He's a boy, he'll get over it by himself." Apparently, she still must have looked bad, so Beth continued. "Hey, wanna help feed Judith?"

Faye immediately looked up, a grin on her face. She enjoyed helping with the baby, it was relaxing. When she wasn't crying, at least. "Yeah!"

"Alright, grab the bottle. I'll show you how to make it."

* * *

Faye sat outside the prison, fiddling with a set of keys for the cell block, T-Dog next to her.

"Do you think whoever took Glenn and Maggie will be dangerous?" The girl asked, pulling her fringe behind her ear.

"I think anyone could be dangerous," The man replied. "It's how we deal with 'em. If we keep them others in the group, we'll have a better chance. I think it might work, me and Tyreese could get along."

Faye nodded, taking in the information.

"You ain't worried?" He asked.

Faye turned to him. "About what?"

"The others? Tyreese and his group? Anything?" T-Dog said, holding the back of his neck in a casual pose. "You're quieter, that much I remember. Used to bother us with all these questions and that damn imagination."

Faye shrugged, but then smirked at him. "Hey! I was right about the prisoners at least!"

"Alright, I'll give you that." He held up his hands in mock surrender, earning a quiet chuckle from the girl. Seemingly pleased with himself, T-Dog smiled. He was about to say something further, when he paused, leaning forward onto his knees.

"What is it?" She asked, trying to follow his line of sight.

To assist her, he pointed. "Look who's back."

As a car drove through the gate, Faye stood from her spot, a mixture of excitement and disbelief on her face. Shoving the keys in her pocket, both she and T-Dog ran to the fence to get a better look.

The first thing she noticed was that there were significantly less people leaving that car than there should have been. She clung to the fence as she moved her head closer, the car coming inside to park.

Rick was walking back with Carol and Carl, so he was fine. Michonne was lurking around, and there was Glenn and Maggie.

That left the prisoners to be missing, and Da-

No, he had still be in the car, maybe collecting a bag of supplies or something. That had to be it.

A few excruciatingly long moments passed and the truth of the matter hit Faye hard.

Daryl wasn't coming back. Daryl hadn't come back. Daryl was never coming back.

Hands dropping from the wire fence, Faye could see T-Dog staring at her, waiting for her reaction.

Turning around, she walked back to the cell block, senses numb.

She gave nothing away. No tears, no anger, no despair.

Just silence.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Hey! Sorry for the long wait, the chapters should go back to being regular now. Thank you to all the reviewers for the last chapter!

So, Faye assumes the worst pretty much immediately. In the next chapter, her feelings will be explored more.

On a different note, the new episode of Walking Dead... I don't think I can describe it properly. Dark, certainly. I mean, wow. I was freaking out over how crazy Lizzie was getting, but then later on, I didn't know how to process it. If you saw the episode, you'll know what part I'm talking about. Are you ready for the last two of Season 4?

Anyway, next chapter will be up on Thursday or, at the latest, Friday. I hope to see you then!

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	19. Comfort

**I do not own The Walking Dead.**

Previously:

Daryl wasn't coming back. Daryl hadn't come back. Daryl was never coming back.

Hands dropping from the wire fence, Faye could see T-Dog staring at her, waiting for her reaction.

Turning around, she walked back to the cell block, senses numb.

She gave nothing away. No tears, no anger, no despair.

Just silence.

* * *

It didn't take long for the mask to break.

As the information sunk into her head, replaying over and over, her feet pounded harder against the floor, desperate to escape any prying eyes.

As she unlocked the doors to the cell block, the anger set in. The stares from Tyreese's group were heavily ignored, the slam of the second prison door louder than the first.

As she stomped up the stairs, Faye barely registered the call from Tyreese, his words slow. That was stupid, he didn't need to treat her like a child throwing a tantrum. "Everything alright?"

Faye stopped at the top of the stairs, taking a deep breath before replying heatedly. "Rick's back."

Yes, _Rick _was back. Good for him.

Not waiting for the man to question her any further, the girl stormed into her cell with a rough shove of the door. When the metal door bounced back towards her, Faye spun back around and gave it a hard kick with a frustrated shout, ignoring the pain left in her foot.

She stood there for a while, unsure for how long, as she controlled herself.

That had been stupid. Now her foot hurt. Darn it.

So, instead of kicking various furniture, Faye let her body collapse on the bed, eyes glaring holes into the top bunk.

The tears threatened to come, but she blinked them away. This had become a habit. Didn't she promise not to cry anymore?

Yes, crying was something Faye Robbins didn't do, not now.

Back then, she had.

After the camp had been overrun, Faye had hidden in a house nearby to wait for the walkers to go away. In the attic of the house, she curled up into a ball and cried herself to sleep. Faye didn't like remembering that, it had been dark and cold up there.

When she found her dad and brother in the road, she... dealt with them. Then, once again, she ran away. Sprinted, in fact, as far away as her legs could carry her. When she was finally alone again, not followed by the reanimated members of her family, Faye was surrounded by silence and the cruel world around her. When one tear fell, the others simply kept coming and soon the twelve year old was a blubbering mess. She was almost glad no one saw her. _Almost_.

Then, a walker stumbled out of the forest, drawn by the sound of her sobs. Not wanting to fire the gun, Faye ran again, for as long as it took until the walker was out of sight. It was then that she saw the side road leading off into the forest. She'd gone down it on a whim, not wanting to be out on the road. She'd found a walker-less house there, and cried some more.

All in all, there were a lot of tears.

But that was then and this is now, the girl told herself. Crying wasn't an option. Crying over _Daryl_ wasn't an option. She'd find a better way of dealing with it.

...

Screw it, hitting something felt better than talking about feelings.

Balling her hand into a tight fist, Faye lashed out as she punched the top bunk with a thunk, only to reel back with a hiss of pain.

It was sad that she couldn't work out which hurt more, the thinking or the punching. They both left a nasty sting she didn't feel like dealing with.

"What did the bed do to you?"

Carol's voice broke Faye from her thoughts of cursing the bed. She stopped cradling her hand, moving them both to rest on her stomach. "Gave me a funny look."

Faye hoped the older woman recognised that as an attempt to joke, she was in too bad a mood to add the sarcastic tone.

In return, Carol smiled sadly and raised her hand up motioning outwards towards where the girl was lying. "Mind if I come in?"

Responding with a grunt - which the woman took as a yes - Faye rolled over to continue avoiding eye-contact. She felt the bed sag slightly as Carol must have sat down and Faye prepared herself for whatever attempt at comforting Carol would try to do. What was there to comfort? She wasn't crying, Carol had _no _signs of her being sad as far as she was concerned.

There was a pause before anything else was said. "Want to talk?"

"About what?" Faye spat back, not caring if she was being harsh on the woman. There was nothing to talk about, Daryl was dead, that's all there was to it.

Daryl had given her his _word _that he would come back. Daryl had said they would be fine. Daryl had _lied._

"Sweetheart, Daryl isn't dead."

Faye dared. Faye dared to let that little bit of hope back, anger seemingly pouring out of her tense muscles.

Finally turning her head to look at Carol, a hand holding her up, the girl replied softly. "Where is he?"

"They ran into his brother Merle. Both of them went off on their own."

What?

_What?_

Slowly, Faye turned back on to her side, fists clenching again.

"The wall giving you a funny look?"

_Are you angry?_

Faye didn't reply.

_I'm furious._

Daryl didn't die, he didn't give up his life to save somebody. Daryl left. _Daryl left. _

Knowing full well he had given his word, full well that she was waiting for him, full well that it would feel like _her __whole world was crashing down withoutanypillarstoholditup!_

Hitting something seemed like an extremely good idea. Now, if she could only get rid of-

"Do you understand why?"

"Does it matter?" Faye replied quietly, worried if she raised it any more she would shout. "He left us."

Carol tried to reason with her. "For his brother."

"He _abandoned _us."

"For family."

"_We were a family!_" Faye finally raised her voice, spinning her head round to scowl at Carol. When the woman's stern expression didn't leave, she calmed a little. "I- I thought we were a family. What does that matter now?"

There was that sad look again, that annoying look of pity. She didn't need it.

"If _your _brother walked in, would you go with him?" The woman asked.

If her brother walked in, he'd be snarling and trying to eat her.

But, yeah.

Once again, Carol took her silence as a yes. "So, you understand?"

"I understand, I just don't care. We needed him here!" The 'I needed him here' was left unspoken.

"Don't be like that." Carol replied softly. "Daryl has his code, the world needs more men like that." With a further pat on the leg, Carol was gone.

* * *

"Are you okay?"

Faye couldn't see him leaning at the doorway, but recognised the voice to be Carl's. Currently, the girl had switched from lying on her side to being on her stomach, face buried into the pillow. She's heard Carol say that if she was going through the five stages of grief, she had pretty much skipped denial. Faye guessed that was just a fancy way of saying she was pissed.

And, yeah, she was! She had every right to be!

But that wasn't really her main priority anymore. Right now, she was wallowing in her own self pity.

Words muffled through the fabric as she spoke, Faye replied to Carl. "That depends on your definition of okay."

Oh, the sarcasm was back. Always a good sign.

"How about not hitting things?"

When Carol had left she had punched the wall, and Carl had warned her not to under the premise that it wasn't like her and it would hurt a lot. She did it anyway. He didn't laugh, but the girl could see he was a little smug. Faye decided she might see Hershel about the dull throb in her hand.

"Nah. Stopped half an hour ago."

Carl sat on the bed, not bothering to ask like the older woman had. Instead, he waited for her to pick herself off the bed and sit next to him. Reluctantly, she did so, running a hand through her hair to try and straighten it out. It didn't work very well, so the girl simply pushed her fringe behind her ear so as to not block her view of her friend.

They sat in silence for a minute before Faye looked over to see Carl's face, only to see him staring at her. Turning away immediately with what she denied to be a blush, Faye spoke. "I'm kind of waiting for you to say why you're here."

"Can I not visit a friend?"

"I was having some quality me-time!"

"You were moping."

"... That was some quality moping!"

There was another pausing before Carl chuckled quietly, and Faye couldn't help but join him with a smile, bad mood or not. "So, want to talk?" He said.

The girl preferred this approach rather than Carol's. But, still, she didn't really want to. "Do we have to?"

"You got me to talk, so I'm doing the same." He reasoned.

Faye hummed a reply, waiting for him to start, determined to stay stubborn.

"We'll be okay without him." Carl said, the joking tone lost. _You'll be okay without him._

"We won't. The group needs Daryl, he looks after us." She replied. _I won't. I need Daryl, he looks after me. _"The guys that got Glenn and Maggie are gonna come for us, you know. We don't have anything to beat them with."

The boy frowned, now taking the more literal meaning of her words. "There's those other guys?"

"They're just four people. Besides, do you really think your Dad will just let them in? We don't trust strangers anymore, he won't let them in after what happened with the prisoners."

Carl fell silent. The prisoners had ultimately caused Lori's death. Neither Rick, Carl, or any of the group would forget that. They'd almost caused the death of _her._

The boy changed the topic. "That's not what I'm here to talk about."

"What's there to say? _Daryl left. _That's all there is to it." Faye rested her head on a hand. "I want to say it would be easier if he was just dead, but that's kinda mean, 'cause I don't want him to die, but then it wouldn't feel like..." She trailed off.

The boy looked confused. "Why would it be easier?"

"He had a choice. Leave or stay. He left, knowing that we needed him, knowing what he would lose. He did it anyway. If he died, it wouldn't be by choice. But he chose it. He chose to abandoned me." Her black fringe fell in front of her eye as she looked to the ground. "Everybody leaves eventually."

"I haven't left." He said softly.

She paused before replying. "I know." Faye gave him a weak smile. "You're persistent."

Carl then wrapped his arms around her in some kind of awkward-sideways-hug, which was both clumsy and comforting at the same time.

(To anyone walking past, it was adorable.)

Faye let her head rest on his shoulder. "Was I not good enough?"

"I think you're really good."

"What if I was less annoying? Or talked less?"

"You didn't annoy Daryl."

The next few minutes were spent with Carl reassuring Faye that no, if she hadn't asked to hunting, Daryl still would have gone. And no, she plucked the birds just fine.

After a while, the two lapsed into silence, only standing when they heard movement downstairs.

Time to see how Rick would really handle Tyreese.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Uh! I'm sorry, this chapter originally had another one or two scenes in, but it's so late now that I just fell asleep and my laptop fell off the bed so that extra bit will have to wait until next chapter! XD

So, I apologise if they are any spelling mistakes, I haven't yet been through the chapter. Tomorrow, I will spell check and you can expect another update extra quick to make up for the loss.

I hope my laptop's okay.

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	20. Instinct

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

The next few minutes were spent with Carl reassuring Faye that no, if she hadn't asked to hunting, Daryl still would have gone. And no, she plucked the birds just fine.

After a while, the two lapsed into silence, only standing when they heard movement downstairs.

Time to see how Rick would really handle Tyreese.

* * *

The man raised his hand for Rick to shake. "I'm Tyreese."

When nothing was said in reply, Hershel pointed to the rest of the group. "Sasha, Allen, Ben."

The leader didn't seem to be interested in names. This wasn't exactly the start Faye had been hoping for, not if these new people were going to stay.

"How did you get in?" Rick asked. In all honesty, it was a good question.

The reply was calm. "Fire damage to the administrator part of the prison, wall's down."

"Well, that side's completely overrun with walkers, how'd you get this far?"

Here came the awkward part.

"We didn't." What was the name of the woman who died? Dawn, wasn't it? Allen's wife. "We lost our friend Donna."

Close enough.

Carl spoke. "They were lost in the tombs."

The leader spun around, obviously not happy, so Faye stood with him. "We heard screaming from our cell block."

"And you brought them here?"

"They had no choice." Hershel said, nodding to the two children. Exactly! They couldn't just leave them to wander around the tombs! It was better to keep them where they could keep an eye on them.

Rick sighed before continuing. "I'm sorry about your friend. We know what that's like."

Tyreese began to sell their case. "Hershel said you could use some extra hands," That was extremely true, all they needed was for Rick to go for it. "We're no stranger to hard work. We'll go out, get our own food, stay out of your hair. Got a problem with another group, we'll help with that too. Anything to contribute."

Faye couldn't see the problem. Yes, it would take some time to really trust these people, but they looked strong! Well, Tyreese and Sasha did, at least.

There was a tense pause as everyone waited for Rick's reply.

"No."

Come on! What was the problem?!

Sasha, and even members of the group, protested, but Rick held firm. "I can't be responsible."

"You turn us out," Tyreese said. "You are responsible."

Hershel came in and stopped Rick, having quiet words with him. If there was anyone to convince the man, it was Hershel. Everyone saw him as the wise one, the person you went to for advice.

As the two talked, Faye exchanged a look with Carl. He didn't look very positive about the situation. In all honesty, neither was she. Then, everyone watched expectantly as Hershel finished, looking closely at Rick's expression.

For a moment, it looked like everything would work out. Rick ran a hand over his face with a sigh, as if admitting defeat. He patted Hershel's arm, before the hand dropped to his side.

Then his expression changed to one of horror, muttering to himself as he began to stride forward, past the group. "Why are you here? What do you what from me?"

"Dad?" Carl questioned, but was treated as though he had never spoken.

"W-why are you..." The man's breathing was heavy.

Faye tensed as she backed away a step, this scene a little too familiar. Memories of Michael screaming at no one in particular, eyes glazed over: _"Why me?! Why are you here?!" _

The girl desperately hoped that Rick wouldn't go down that route, that their leader could turn back now and be okay.

But, no, his shouts and pleas simply grew louder.

"I can't help you! Get out!"

He walked back and forth, yelling 'get out' over and over. Whether the words were for Tyreese or whoever, he was scaring people.

Faye found herself backing away again, only for Maggie to place a hand on her shoulder with an attempt to smile before addressing Rick. "Hey, easy, Rick. There's no need to-"

"You don't belong here! Get out!" The leader spun around, gun suddenly in his hands as the woman jumped in shock, immediately pulling Faye and Carl back.

A wave of panic washing over her, Faye felt herself tremble as her breathing grew faster. Clearly noticing the shaking girl, Maggie wrapped an arm around her, lightly running a hand up and down her arm while her eyes were still on Rick.

Forget that, everyone's eyes were on Rick.

* * *

Faye stood awkwardly outside Hershel's cell, slightly embarrassed that she had to ask for help.

"Can you look at my hand? I kinda..." _Punched the wall. _"-hurt it."

Hershel's smile was unwavering, as if knowing what happened. Come to think of it, Carol probably told him. "Of course, dear. Come sit down."

She did so, perching on the edge of the bed, and he motioned for her to hold out the hand in question. Gently, he looked it over.

Damn, it was her right hand, too. She fired her gun with that hand, and used her knife, how could she be so stupid?

Apparently, a look of annoyance must have shown on her face as Hershel spoke, his tone comforting. Although, when wasn't his tone comforting? "Don't worry,you haven't done that much damage. Some minor bruising maybe, but nothing terrible. Care to tell me how this happened?"

Faye was pretty sure she looked guilty as she spoke. Well, this was one way to put it. "The wall gave me a funny look."

"Must have been quite the look it gave you." He said, giving her a look which Faye was pretty sure was mischief.

On the other hand, she could have simply been over thinking the expressions on his face. That was always possible.

"However, dear," He reached back and picked up a small bandage. "I don't think a wall is what's bothering you."

Faye didn't feel like a third lecture. She changed the subject. "I thought you said it wasn't too bad?"

"Nothing wrong with being extra careful." He said, that smile still on his face. It made the girl feel a little more relaxed. "Now, where were we?"

Seeing no way out of the conversation as the old man wrapped the bandage around her hand, Faye sighed before speaking. "I was pissed about Daryl and I felt like hitting something, so I did."

"You were _annoyed _by Daryl, so your reaction was to lash out. Did it help you?"

"It hurt." Faye shrugged. "I felt less..." She wasn't sure how to finish that sentence.

Hershel pressed on. "Did it fix anything?"

"...No."

"Then I think your lesson has been learnt."

"That punching things hurts?"

He shook his head. "That lashing out and hitting things doesn't help anything."

"Alright." Faye said after a minute of thinking it over.

When he was finished, he gave her hand a light pat and she drew it into her lap. "I get the feeling that Daryl's not the whole problem here."

The girl frowned. "Do you know everything?"

"Far from it. However, I tend to have a knack for knowing when something is bothering a child, don't you think?" He leaned back in his chair. "Now, mind telling me what the problem is?"

"Do you," Faye paused, thinking of how to word it, before carrying on. "Do you know about the group I was with before?"

Hershel nodded. "I've heard bits and pieces."

"Our leader's name was Michael. His wife died and he wasn't the same after." The old man listened silently as she spoke. "It started with just talking to himself. But it got a lot worse. He'd yell at the sky, shouting to someone. Dad said Michael was talking to his wife. Then one day, these three people went to talk to him about stepping down and he just... went nuts. He was screaming, then he just pulled out his gun and shot them. It was really scary. It didn't work having someone like that as a leader, not for a long shot. It happened again later on, and that caused the camp to get overrun, and then..." No, Hershel knew what happened after that. Everyone in the group did now, she didn't need to go over it.

Faye looked back up at the old man. "Do you get what I'm talking about?"

The girl received a nod. "I understand your concern."

"It's just, I don't want that to happen to us, to Rick. I know he's a good guy. When he was waving the gun around..."

"I do believe that Rick is going to be okay. He _is _a good man." Hershel said. "He just needs rest and for us to keep an eye on him. It's been a rough few days."

Faye was sceptical, but more than trusted Hershel's word. "Are you sure?"

"I'm very sure."

* * *

Faye wasn't sure why she had stopped outside Glenn's cell, but she had, and now he was staring at her expectantly. So, she asked the question which was kind of pointless, because she knew the answer to it. "Are you okay?"

She could tell Glenn was putting on the smile, he had been in a really pissy mood earlier. The girl was pretty sure it was because Maggie wasn't talking to him. "I will be."

Well, that was a more reasonable answer than she was expecting.

Then, she realised why she was here, she realised the question she wanted to ask was probably inappropriate. She asked it anyway.

Taking a step further into the cell, Faye awkwardly shuffled from one foot to the other as she brushed her fringe back behind her left ear. "It was- it was Daryl's brother who did that to you, wasn't it?"

The way Glenn's expression turned cold told her that no, it wasn't the right thing to ask. His body was tense as he replied. "Merle."

The girl proceeded cautiously. "So, he was bad?"

"Merle was very bad." Faye got the feeling Glenn was censoring himself when he spoke of his kidnapper. "Daryl was wrong to go with him."

Nodding slowly as she processed the information, Faye decided now was probably time to change topic. "What are we gonna do now?"

"We'll be okay without Daryl, you don't need to worry."

"No, that's not what I meant." She shook her head. "About the Governor. He's gonna attack us, isn't he?"

Glenn seemed determined as he replied. "He can try."

The girl frowned. "What about the walkers that got in? Tyreese said that walls were down; that means more of them should be able to get in."

The man sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "With Daryl gone and Rick wandering-" He apparently stopped himself to think of better words to say to the child. "-and Rick not in the right state of mind, that makes me the leader, right?"

"I guess so."

A surprising amount of confidence in his step, Glenn stood away from the bed before walking to Faye and bending down to her level. "Then I've got to figure out a solution. Do you remember where Tyreese's group got in?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Then you can help me out." Glenn said, knowing the girl would say yes. Faye liked it when she was included in a plan.

Nodding with what she hoped was a grown up look, Faye agreed. "I'll help!"

The man patted her shoulder before turning around to look for what ended up being a piece of chalk. The two walked out the cell and into the main area of the cell block - Faye pausing to nod for Carl to come with them - and Glenn drew out a vague map of the tombs with the assistance of Faye.

(Carl helped too, but Faye decided not to acknowledge this. Glenn had asked her for help, so that made her his assistant! So if Carl helped her, that made him her assistant! Yes, Faye preferred to think of it that way.)

"You said you found Tyreese's group here?" The man pointed to a white square drawn on the floor. Both children nodded. "We secured this."

Faye thought before replying, jabbing what was meant to be a corridor. "He thought he came from this way."

Glenn sighed. "Means there's another breach. Okay, the whole front of the prison is unsecure. If walkers just strolled in, it's gonna be cake for a group of our men."

Beth stood with her arms crossed. "Why are we even so sure he's gonna attack? Maybe you scared him off."

Faye wished that could be the case, but from the sound of it, the group that went over there didn't do anywhere near enough. Michonne confirmed the girl's thoughts.

"He had fish tanks full of heads, walkers and humans. Trophies. He's coming."

There was a pause as everyone took the information in before Glenn spoke up again, looking at the katana-wielding woman. "We should hit him now."

Woah. Wait, slow down. There was no way they were capable of doing that.

"He won't be expecting it. We'll sneak back in and put a bullet in his head."

Okay, Glenn's plan might have been going a little too far for Faye's liking. "We aren't assassins." Carol said, frowning.

The woman was ignored as Glenn moved to stand in front of Michonne. "You know where his apartment is. You and I could end this tonight._ I'll do it myself_."

It took only a moment for Michonne to nod.

"He didn't know you were coming last time." Hershel intervened. He was probably right to do this, Faye thought. At first, it looked like Glenn would have a plan, but he seemed in over his head. Sneaking in to kill the Governor with just the two of them and so little planning. There was no way it would end happily. "And look what happened. You were almost killed. Daryl was captured. And you and Maggie were almost executed."

"You can't stop me."

Faye had no idea where any of this rage was coming from, but Glenn was pissed. Seriously pissed. _I'm going to kill someone _pissed. That wasn't a good state of mind to be in, even Faye knew this.

"Rick would never allow this."

Rick wasn't here.

Hershel continued to try and convince Glenn it was a bad call to attack Woodbury again, but the younger man was having none of it. It was only when Maggie left the room wordlessly, footsteps echoing through the cell block, that he stopped.

"Alright. We stay put. We're gonna defend this place. We're making a stand."

Well, it was better than the ambush plan, at least.

"Faye, Carl, we'll go down to the tombs. We need to figure out where the breach is." Glenn said, crouching in front of them both again.

"You got it." Carl said, and Faye nodded firmly. Michonne offered to join them, but she was declined. Apparently, she was needed upstairs in case anything happened.

Glenn looked around again before speaking. "Who's on watch?"

It was Carol who replied. "T-Dog. I was going to go tell him what the plan is."

* * *

Searching the tombs hadn't gone well. There were more walkers than the three had expected there to be, it was a surprise to say the least. When they returned to the cell block, Beth unlocked the door.

"Tombs outside the boiler room are overrun again." Glenn said, obviously frustrated.

"That whole section had been cleared!" Beth said as she shut the entrance.

Faye caught her breath before replying. "Not clear anymore."

"It's a steady stream of walkers." Carl added.

Hershel was packing things into a bag. "We're wasting time. Governor supposedly on the way and we're stuck in here with walkers."

The old man certainly had a point.

Carol didn't sound particularly optimistic. "Trapped between a rock and a hard place."

Faye frowned. She had never quite understood that phrase. Rocks were little, weren't they? Why would it matter if-

"For the last time, running is not an option!" Faye's thoughts were stopped by Glenn as he snapped.

"Glenn, if the tombs are filled up it may only be a matter of time before they push in here." Carol continued as Beth joined in too.

"Or until some fence gives way."

Axel spoke next. "What if one of them herds is passing through?"

"Can't handle that with just a few of us."

Damn, nobody was happy today. They really needed to make a plan where everyone was happy. However, as Faye looked around at the faces in the room, she thought that might be too much to ask.

It seemed however, Glenn was determined to stay, no matter what the others said. He wasn't turning out to be the leader Faye had hoped for. Maybe he should have waited until he was properly fine instead of settling for 'I will be'.

* * *

"Where are you going?"

Faye had been opening the side gate outside the prison after deciding she wanted to get away from everyone for a while. The girl had been trying her best to be in a good mood after Daryl left, but everyone else seemed disheartening.

She made sure to sound sarcastic, just to let Carl know she _was _joking. "Oh, you know, off to be depressed by my not-a-grave."

When Faye found out the group had given her a grave, her feelings were torn. At first, it felt odd. Simply weird. Everyone had thought she was dead, gone, but here she was. Then, she felt sad. Had the group mourned her when they put the cross in the ground, no body to be recovered?

But now? It amused her. Visiting her own grave, breathing with blood pumping through her veins instead of lying in the ground, cold. Faye saw that as a sort-of achievement.

"Don't do that, it's really boring. You should stay in sight." He replied.

Faye gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I will be in sight. You don't have to watch me, I'll be just down there." Faye pointed down into the field.

"Shout if you need anything." Carl said with a little wave which Faye returned.

Standing in front of your own grave was strange. She hadn't actually seen it before that moment. The idea was that she would come down to take away the cross they had left, in line with the others. Looking along the line, there was Big-Tiny, Oscar, _Lori. _

That was three too many names.

She wasn't supposed to be alive, it was a miracle that she hadn't died. Faye would call herself lucky if it wasn't for all the bad things weighing against her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rick wandering outside the fence. The girl frowned. He needed more than a little rest. Didn't he realise what he was doing to all of them, to Carl? Glenn meant well, but he wasn't as strong as Rick had been.

There was shuffling to the far side of her, and Faye saw Hershel hobbling down towards the fence. Faye cupped her mouth as she called out to him. Of course, she was careful not to be too loud. "Hershel! You doing okay?"

The old man looked over with a smile. Faye noted that it looked more forced than usual. "I'm fine, thank you."

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Just paying our friend Rick a visit, makin' sure he's okay." It was clear the walk down into the field had tired out Hershel, but Faye knew she wouldn't stop him, he was stubborn. Kind of reminded the girl of herself. She nodded to him before turning away again. Come to think of it, it was probably the furthest he had gone since he lost the leg, but she'd have to check.

Looking back towards the prison, her thoughts of Hershel were deserted as she squinted at two figures.

Was that Carl and Beth? It sure looked like it. So, what, he wasn't in a mood with her anymore?

Faye frowned. He could have at least told _Faye _that, they were supposed to be best friends!

Not thinking any further on the grave, Faye bent down and yanked the cross from the ground. Carl had been right, this was _totally _boring, she should be up there with him! That was probably why he went to talk to Beth, yeah, Faye had been busy doing something else!

As she began to walk back, the girl stopped. She had been rude. Faye decided that she should probably pay her respects rather than just leave.

Turning back, however, her eyes did not meet the crosses embedded into the ground.

No, it was much worse than that.

She saw the car, she saw the people, she saw the Governor staring straight at her, gun trained on her head.

In that first moment, her instincts told her to run, to scream for help, but her body froze.

Had she moved the first second, the girl could have probably gotten away unscathed, had she, of course, survived the rest of the fight. But no, it took her that whole moment to run and scream for Carl.

Faye just didn't move fast enough to stop the bullet hitting her, any desperate screams dying in her throat as her body fell to the ground.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Aha! I'm back and I'm fully awake! This writing session has had no laptops falling off the bed. I hope this longer chapter makes up for last time!

So, thoughts on Chapter Twenty? I hoped you enjoyed it.

The next update will be on Wednesday/Thursday so I have time to complete some homework. See you then!

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


	21. Awake

**I do not own the Walking Dead.**

Previously:

She saw the car, she saw the people, she saw the Governor staring straight at her, gun trained on her head.

In that first moment, her instincts told her to run, to scream for help, but her body froze.

Had she moved the first second, the girl could have probably gotten away unscathed, had she, of course, survived the rest of the fight. But no, it took her that whole moment to run and scream for Carl.

Faye just didn't move fast enough to stop the bullet hitting her, any desperate screams dying in her throat as her body fell to the ground.

* * *

Michonne couldn't be sure how strong her ties were to this group.

Rick wanted her gone, certainly, but that seemed to have been put on the backbench. She'd seen him outside the fences, wandering around, doing God knows what. It was odd.

As for the rest of them, the adults of the prison didn't act warmly to her, that was for sure. But they weren't exactly cold, either. Glenn saw her as useful, the woman knew that much at least. The man had trusted her to get him back into Woodbury, a partner in crime, if you will.

As for the children, Michonne hadn't seen much of them.

The two seemed determined to grow up, to join in any plans the group made, dangerous as they may be.

Baby Judith was treasured by all of them, the woman had barely seen anything of the child. Judith gave them hope, a glimmer of it amongst the hell outside the prison.

The boy, Carl, was Rick's son. He looked to be the most determined of the two children, but the girl was certainly a force to be reckoned with when she had a temper. Well, as much of a force as a young girl could be.

Yes, this group was very protective of it's children, wanted to make them happy.

Faye had obviously been distraught on the day they returned without Daryl. The adults had all made an effort with the girl, Michonne herself would have probably told the girl to buck up, had she the chance.

But, now? All she got was a guilty feeling.

When Faye screamed, shouting for her friend, it caught everyone's attention, including Michonne's. Then there was the gunshot, then the girl collapsed to the ground.

The Governor, who else could it be?

Pressing her back against the truck, the woman could hear the faint shouts of the young Grime's boy, but he seemed to be restrained by Hershel's daughter.

Why the girl? She was innocent in all this, it would have been smarter to take out an adult. He couldn't have known Faye was armed-

Then something clicked in Michonne's head.

The girl's death was her fault.

She killed Penny, he killed Faye.

The woman didn't have much time to think this over, to feel responsible, as she was too busy defending the prison from the attack. When the van full of walkers broke in and Glenn returned, only then did she deal with the problem.

Michonne couldn't leave the body of the girl lying there to be devoured, Carl would be unhappy and it simply didn't feel right.

Slicing walkers as she went, the woman could see Glenn as he helped Hershel into the car. He gave her a confused look before Hershel must have said something to him, realisation flashing across his face. He quickly nodded to her and they both continued on, Glenn getting the old man into the car before driving over to her.

After decapitating a walker's head, Michonne found the body.

The _moving_ body.

Had she not been shot in the head? Bending down to have a closer look, the bullet wound was on the right side of her head. It was a long graze, she'd get a scar if she survived. From the way her face was turned, blood was flowing onto her face. The girl could still be dead, Michonne reminded herself.

Glenn's car pulled up behind them. He stepped out the car and began to shoot any incoming walkers, Hershel seemingly doing so out the window.

"Is she dead?" The man asked.

Faye wasn't reaching out towards her, her hand was on her neck, slowly reaching up to the head wound. Cautiously, she reached out, waving a hand in front of the girl's eyes.

"Well?" Glenn said hurriedly.

Faye groaned, the woman snapping her hand back.

The words were faint, but were heard as if they were shouted. "Am I dead?"

There was no more hesitation in Michonne's movements as she scooped the weak girl into her arms, speaking to the man as she did so. "She's alive. Open the door!"

Hershel shuffled over to help fit both girls into the car, Faye seemingly fallen back into unconsciousness. The doors were slammed shut as Glenn got in the front and drove back up to the front gate.

"Let me see her." Hershel said as both adults manoeuvred Faye so the old man could get a better look. Lifting the girls dark hair, damp with blood, he frowned. "We're going to have to cut some of this off, I can't get a good look. There may be some fragments left from the bullet, I'll have to remove them with what little medical supplies we have. Right now, we need to stop the bleeding."

Fingers pressing against the wound carefully, Michonne holding her up, Hershel tried to wake the girl. "Faye, sweetheart, are you with me?" He lightly patted her cheek, to which he received a moan and an incoherent annoyed-sounding grumble. It seemed to be enough for him. "That's it, stay awake for me. You can't sleep just yet, dear."

The man kept talking to her softly before the two adults registered the car stopping, the woman picking Faye back up into her arms.

As soon as she left the car, there was a bombardment of questions.

Carl was the first, running up with a look of distress. "Faye!" He cried. "Is she alive? Is she gonna be okay?"

Michonne began walking to the cell block, Hershel hobbling beside her hurriedly, and let the man answer his questions. "She's alive, slipping in and out of consciousness. I have to remove any fragments of the bullet and stitch up the wound. Her body is going through trauma, she may still go into shock. If she's lucky, Faye will get out of this with just a scar."

Beth was next. "Why would he do that? She's just a little girl."

The woman replied. "It's because of that that he shot her."

"What do you mean?" Maggie said, cautiously.

"The Governor's daughter was a walker. He was keeping her locked up in a cupboard, like an animal. I put it out of it's misery." Michonne explained, someone opening the door to the cell block for her. Hershel guided her to as cell to lay Faye in. "So he shot her. Some kind of sick eye for an eye."

There was an awkward silence as Faye was set down on the bed, Michonne avoiding looking at them.

They could think what they want-

"Now isn't the time to discuss whose fault it is." Hershel motioned for his daughter. "Beth, go get the medical supplies. I'll need a hand."

* * *

Slipping in and out of consciousness was unpleasant, especially with a pounding headache.

But, hey, the pain meant she was alive.

Faye vaguely remembered someone - possibly Carol, Beth, or maybe even Maggie - waking her to take some painkillers, but the girl had pretty much gone straight back to sleep afterwards.

There were a few other times she could recall. Carl had been there, she remembered moving about with Hershel and Michonne, and Faye could have sworn she saw Daryl.

He looked guilty, too. Damn right - he should be if he came crawling back!

(Who was she kidding, Daryl Dixon doesn't come crawling back! He strides in as if he never left.)

It was the next morning that Faye woke up properly. Blinking against the patchy light that was in the cell - which wasn't her own, she noted - Faye noticed a figure standing by the door, as if guarding it. There were voices in the background which seemed to be getting a little heated.

"That truck through the fence thing? Shootin' ya girl? That's just him ringing the doorbell."

This voice was new. And taunting. And talking about _her._

"We might have some thick walls t' hide behind, but he's got the guns and the numbers. And if he takes the high ground around this place, shoot. He could just starve us out if he wanted to."

There was a pause before people protested, Hershel's voice stopping them.

"I said we should leave. Now Axel's dead and Faye's been shot. We can't just sit here!"

Yet another pause before a shout from the old man. "Get back here!"

Faye wasn't sure who the old man was talking to, but the tone of voice startled her. Hershel wasn't supposed to be angry! He was the nice one who always set you straight if you were being a bit dumb - Faye knew this from numerous occasions - but never yelled. "You're slipping, Rick. We've all seen it, we all understand why. But now is not the time! You once said this wasn't a democracy?"

Aha! Faye knew what that was this time! Well, she hadn't asked anyone, but the way everybody did what Rick said gave her an idea. Rick was the leader, so he made the rules. At least, that was Faye's impression.

The old man continued. "Now you have to own up to that. I put my families life in _your _hands! So, get your head clear. _And do something_."

Woah, he _told _Rick!

Deciding to ignore what was happening, Faye took in her surroundings. This wasn't her cell, she knew that much. This was on the bottom floor, with whatever medical supplies they must have had left in the corner of the room. Under her head was an extra pillow which the group must have hoped would help with the pain.

It didn't. The side of her head throbbed with pain.

Ignoring the fact it was a bad idea, the girl reached up to feel where Hershel must have stitched up the wound. Lightly brushing her fingers over it, Faye only found fabric. Of course they would bandage it, the old man would have known she would try to touch it. Damn, all she wanted to do was she how long the wound was!

Sighing, Faye stretched her arms out, stiff from being in the same position for so long.

Then, she glanced up. The girl blinked before giving a small smile, raising her hand with a little wave. "Hello." She said simply.

Carl grinned. "You're awake!"

"Sure would seem like it, yeah." She smirked.

The boy walked in and sat by the bed. Assisting her to sit up a little more, the boy handed her a drink. When she finished it, Carl spoke again. "I'm glad you're okay."

She'd hardly call herself okay, but considering she'd survived a bullet to the head, she guessed she was. "I am too. I thought I was a goner."

There was a pause before Carl continued. "I was scared, I thought you were dead. I knew you shouldn't have gone in the field by yourself, we knew they were coming."

Faye gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile, voice remaining quiet. "I'm alive, aren't I?"

"You got shot in the head, Faye!"

Wait. Hold on a minute.

She had survived a bullet to the head.

She had survived a bullet to the head! That, like, totally, Faye was undefeatable!

Carl frowned. "What's with that look?"

Faye grinned triumphantly. "I'm the girl who lived!"

"You took that from Harry Potter." The boy shook his head.

Doing a little shrug, Faye raised her eyebrows. "So?"

"That name's already taken! Besides, you have Birdy. You don't get to pick your own nickname-"

"-it just happens." Faye finished. "Carol's said that a million times."

A few figures appeared at the doorway. "That's 'cause it's true, Birdy."

Carol smiled. "How are you feeling?"

How was she feeling? Drained was probably a good word to use. Then there was the obvious feeling. "My head hurts."

Hershel came in next. "I'm not surprised. It's good to see you awake, dear, you gave us quite the scare."

Looking around at all the people, Faye felt a little overwhelmed by how little space there was in the cell. Before she went to sleep the night before, the girl had wedged the door open, just so she knew she'd be able to get out without a problem. Watching without turning her head too much, she began to feel a little dizzy.

Apparently, Hershel picked up on this. "Why don't we give Faye a little space? Get some more rest, you need to get your strength back."

Faye didn't complain. The group members filtered out her room, the girl shuffling down to rest her head on the pillow. Carl was the last to leave, seemingly reluctant.

"Just call if you need m- anything, right?"

Faye decided to ignore the slip up. "Right."

* * *

Author's Notes:

Faye's alive! (Although, that was kind of obvious, the story would be ruined without her...) Next chapter will be getting back into the swing of things, Faye won't quite be so bedridden.

Thank you for all the kind reviews last chapter! They all make me smile!

Chapter 22 next week, but I need some time for homework as I'm a bit behind.

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.


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